Trump Denies Ordering Vance to Open Negotiation Channel with Tehran
Trump denied ordering Vance to contact Iran for negotiations, while investigations revealed a massive Iranian military supply network and US plans for potential military actions.
Translated by Qiyas from الراي — Original source
Washington, London – Reuters, AFP – U.S. President Donald Trump denied reports that he tasked his vice president, JD Vance, with contacting Iran to resume negotiations, asserting that communications were limited to discussing the delivery of humanitarian aid. Meanwhile, a Reuters investigation concluded that Tehran mobilized a military and financial network comprising 5,000 entities to procure components, explosives, and heavy trucks essential for its drone and missile programs, even during wartime.
Trump told reporters, responding to a question about whether he had asked Vance to restart the negotiation track: “No. The issue is that the Iranians need help obtaining medicines and other things. Vance asked me for my opinion, and I told him, if you want to take charge of this, that’s fine. At its core, it’s about delivering supplies to help patients.”
On Wednesday, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources, that Vance, acting on instructions from Trump, sent a secret message to Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, seeking to explore the possibility of finding sufficient common ground that might persuade Trump to abandon plans for a short, intensive military operation against Iran following the U.S. midterm elections scheduled for November.
According to the newspaper’s sources, the decision to communicate specifically with Rezaei reflects Washington’s assessment that direct dialogue with influential Iranian security officials may be more effective.
In a related development, Axios, citing U.S. and Israeli officials, reported that Washington and Tel Aviv had prepared a plan to carry out a new military operation against Iran, which could begin immediately after the midterm elections if diplomatic negotiations stall.
Bloomberg, citing an informed source, reported that Tehran is preparing for a new wave of U.S. strikes, expected to coincide with the congressional elections.
According to the agency, Iran is planning retaliatory operations across the Middle East, including against Israel.
In a related development, a Reuters investigation concluded that Iran established a global network of secret military entities to import equipment, explosives, and heavy trucks worth at least $2 billion since January last year.
These covert entities operate under names beginning with the letters “Vadj,” an abbreviation for Iran’s Ministry of Defense.
The network comprises more than 5,000 entities forming a vast military and financial system. Their financial transactions can be traced through shipping documents and other import data dating back to 2016. Some are linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and commercial groups known as “Bonyads,” which are controlled by the Iranian elite.
This equipment reached Iran by land, sea, and air, and records show that a significant portion originated from China, Russia, and Germany.
