Iranian negotiators had reportedly sent a private message to US vice president JD Vance during US-Iran talks in Switzerland in late June, warning that the continued presence of President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner would undermine the chance of reaching a lasting deal, a senior Iranian official told Drop Site News.The official said Iran conveyed to Vance that the pair were more interested in exploiting insider knowledge of the negotiations to profit in financial markets than in reaching a deal. Iranian negotiators also expressed concern about repeated leaks from Kushner to Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.“Even before the Islamabad talks kicked off in April, we had already sent multiple messages to Trump through the Pakistanis, warning them about Witkoff’s overall destructive role in the previous negotiation,” the Iranian official said.
Iran claimed $9 bn in alleged market manipulation
In the weeks leading up to the signing of the memorandum of understanding, the official said Iran presented written documentation to mediators of what it characterised as evidence that “individuals close to President Trump” were abusing the Iran war and diplomatic developments to manipulate financial markets.Iran calculated profits from such alleged manipulation had reached $9 billion and formally requested that Iran should share in the proceeds. “We have conveyed through intermediaries that $4.5 billion of this sum should also be allocated to the Iranian side,” the official said.
White House denies claims
A US official denied Iran’s claims, telling Drop Site News: “A message of this nature was never conveyed to the Vice President or his team. Additionally, any insinuation that the other members of the president’s trusted negotiating team are operating under motives other than serving the president and delivering on his mission is false.”White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said: “No such message was ever transmitted to the United States. It’s sad that Drop Site News ‘reporters’ are so filled with hate for America and devoid of respect for themselves that they have become full-throated propagandists for the Iranian regime.”Kushner and Witkoff did not respond to requests for comment.
Iran saw Vance as more d
The Iranian official said Tehran believed Vance brings a “more sober, professional, and realistic perspective” to the negotiations. A source close to Vance said the vice president is broadly looking for partners on the Iranian side, describing this as “diplomacy 101.”Robert Malley, a former top US negotiator of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, said it is strategically sound for the Iranians to work to establish direct communication with Vance, but such a channel can only mean so much. “If today’s President Trump cannot speak for tomorrow’s, then how could JD Vance?” he told Drop Site News.The future of any deal between Iran and the US remains in doubt, with Trump having declared the ceasefire “over” while suggesting diplomatic talks will continue.
