Trump pulls JD Vance off Iran talks and orders him to focus on Democrat-run states

Trump overrules Vance on Iran

US President Donald Trump announced on Thursday, 12 November 2026, that he has taken Vice President JD Vance out of the Iran negotiations. In a Truth Social post he said Vance should concentrate fully on what Trump called massive corruption and crime in Democrat-run cities and states. Trump named Minnesota, California and Illinois as examples of poorly run, corrupt states and claimed that billions of dollars are stolen every month. He also wrote that the United States does not need a deal with Iran, a message that runs against Vance's recent push for talks.

“I have asked Vice President Vance to focus his complete and total attention on the Massive Corruption and Crime taking place in Democrat run Cities and States throughout the U.S.”

Vance blamed the war for the midterm defeat

Vance had written on social media that the war in Iran was largely at fault for the Republicans' midterm losses, which handed Democrats control of both the House and the Senate. Trump, who began the war in late February, later acknowledged that Iran had played a part in the defeat. Vance is seen as a prospective 2028 presidential candidate and has long been viewed as a possible successor to Trump within the MAGA movement. According to Reuters, as cited by Mediafax, Vance has distanced himself from Trump's war and said his recommendations to end it were sound advice.

Talks with Tehran through intermediaries

A Wall Street Journal report says Vance has considered direct talks with Tehran to end the war. According to the WSJ, Vance wrote to Mohsen Rezaei, the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, in October and asked for a meeting, but no date was set. Washington and Tehran are communicating through intermediaries while they decide how to proceed. Trump reportedly told aides he was open to Vance resuming talks with Iran and gave him authority to negotiate, although an in-person meeting would be an unusual step. Der Tagesspiegel reports that Trump's post appeared to respond to that WSJ article. US officials said Vance has taken a more active diplomatic role on Iran than the special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who are working on ending the war between Russia and Ukraine.

Hormuz and economic pressure

The Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most important routes for oil and gas, has been largely blocked since the war began, according to N-tv, and Der Tagesspiegel attributes the blockade to Iranian forces. The US responded with a blockade of Iranian ports. Trump's post said the US has Iran's money and its strait, referring to hundreds of billions of dollars. On Tuesday, 10 November, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said economic pressure on Iran is working and its effects will deepen. Vance also leads a task force against fraud, which deals with, among other things, immigrants defrauding social benefits.