Tehran Confirms Receiving Vance’s Peace Letter, but Withholds Official Response

TEHRAN: Iranian media reported on Thursday that Tehran has received a letter from US Vice President JD Vance but has not yet responded, as diplomatic efforts continue to try to revive peace talks between the two nations.

According to the Tasnim news agency, “Iran has received the letter but has not yet responded,” while the Fars news agency carried a similar account, citing a source familiar with the matter. The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that Vance sent the letter to Iranian security chief Mohsen Rezaei at the direction of President Donald Trump, aiming to restart negotiations and prevent further military escalation.

The correspondence and subsequent contacts between officials from both countries focused on establishing a potential framework for negotiations rather than outlining specific terms for a peace deal, according to the newspaper.

The conflict, which began on February 28 with US-Israeli strikes on Iran that killed former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and senior military commanders, has led to widespread regional instability. Iran retaliated with attacks on Israel and US assets in the region and imposed restrictions on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway that normally carries about one-fifth of global oil consumption. In response, the United States has imposed a blockade on Iranian ports.

As diplomatic efforts to end the war have yet to yield a lasting agreement, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced on Wednesday that Tehran is discussing a plan with mediators—primarily Qatar and Pakistan—to end the conflict and reopen the vital waterway.

Tehran insists that Washington meet seven conditions it has set as a prerequisite for reopening the strait. These conditions include a ceasefire across the Middle East, the unfreezing of Iranian assets abroad, the lifting of sanctions on its oil sector, and an end to the US naval blockade. Tasnim News emphasized that “any position that undermines this firm framework established by Iran is unacceptable.”

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