Iran says US tone has completely changed in Vance letter

Any return to negotiations between the United States and Iran could reshape the disputes between the two countries and the regional balance of power.

Vice President JD Vance sent Iranian officials a letter in recent days in an effort to revive talks, having sought and received President Trump’s approval, according to the account of the exchange.

Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said he had received and read the message. Rezaei, an IRGC cofounder who commanded the force from 1981-97, was appointed the Supreme Leader’s representative on the council and its secretary in August.

Speaking in a video broadcast on Iranian television on Saturday, Rezaei offered little detail about the contents. “I read the letter. I haven't yet responded. Their tone has completely changed,” he told viewers.

He called the change “a good sign” and said it showed Iran had “consolidated its victory.”

Rezaei said he would make no further comment on what the letter contained.

The message leaves the central questions unresolved. Its specific terms are unknown, as are the conditions Iran might seek for any talks and whether Tehran will answer the outreach.

Iranian officials said on Saturday that they had no plans to meet US officials.

Indirect mediation through Qatar was continuing.

Rezaei now occupies one of Iran’s most powerful security posts under an appointment by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei. He was designated Khamenei’s representative to the council on August 9.

His record also includes four unsuccessful presidential campaigns. He has an Interpol red notice and is wanted by the Argentine government over alleged involvement in the 1994 AMIA attack in Buenos Aires. In 2015, he suggested Iran could capture Americans and demand billions for their release.

Trump confirmed that Vance wrote the letter and said he had approved the vice president’s decision to do so.

For now, Rezaei’s remarks point to a possible opening rather than an agreed process. Direct negotiations remain uncertain while Qatar’s mediation continues.