Vance reaches out to Iranian hardliners to revive peace talks Ret, Fox News senior strategic analyst. General Jack Keane discusses reports that Vice President JD Vance contacted an Iranian hardliner at the direction of President Donald Trump. Keane maintains that Iran is not serious about reaching a deal and would not comply. NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Iran’s top security official, who reportedly received a letter from Vice President JD Vance about resuming peace talks, warned in a resurfaced interview that wartime negotiations with Tehran could drag on for decades, during which both sides should “be prepared to fight.” Mohsen Rezaei, former commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), now serves as secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and acts as a key aide to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. It also helped shape Tehran’s military strategy during the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War. That eight-year conflict ended after Iran’s then-supreme leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, agreed to a U.N.-brokered ceasefire that he famously likened to drinking from a “poisoned chalice.” PAKISTAN Iranian General Mohsen Rezaei issues a direct threat against President Donald Trump as the United States repositions an aircraft carrier amid rising tensions with Tehran, according to reports. (Ayoub Ghaderi/YJC/WANA (West Asian News Agency) via REUTERS) “Ceasefire means an unfinished war,” Rezaei had said of the war in a 2006 interview with the Iranian publication Baztab. An English translation of the interview is preserved by the George Washington University National Security Archive. When asked if both sides would remain in their positions and start talks, Rezaei replied: “Yes. The negotiations can last 30 to 40 years and during that time Iran and Iraq should be prepared to fight.” Two decades after suggesting that negotiations could drag on for years, Washington has reportedly been seeking talks with Rezaei, a key power player in Iran’s current military leadership. peace talks between the United States and Iran in October, the Wall Street Journal reported. Iran said it had received a letter from Vance but had not responded, according to Iranian state media. The semi-official Tasnim news agency said Iran was awaiting US compliance with its conditions, warning that “any position that contradicts this framework is unacceptable.” TRUMP SAYS IRAN DEAL ‘NEGOTIATED BIG’ AS 84-DAY WAR NEARS POSSIBLE END In June, President Donald Trump had posted a warning on Truth Social that Iran had taken too long to reach a deal and would “pay the price,” while on Monday he also said Iran wanted a deal but warned that another US attack could be about five times larger than the previous one. “We could eliminate it quickly, or we could eliminate it in a short period, not a long period,” Trump said during an interview with C-SPAN on “Washington Journal Primetime.” “I can tell you that Iran would like to make a deal, and we’ll find out if that will happen,” Trump said of the current timetable. However, Rezaei has continued to maintain a defiant stance toward Washington, writing in After the November 3 US midterm elections, Rezaei also claimed that Iran had defeated Washington militarily and politically. He warned of a “devastating response” to another attack and declared it was time for Washington to “surrender.” IRGC generals and commanders Mohsen Rezaei (second from left), Ali Fadavi (third from left), Ahmad Vahidi (second from right) and Hassan Hassanzadeh (right) attend a memorial ceremony for IRGC commanders, nuclear scientists and civilians killed in the Iran-Israel war at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosque in central Tehran, Iran, on July 2, 2025. (Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images) Rezaei also rejected reports of ongoing negotiations between the United States and Iran or any planned meetings in Qatar, accusing Washington of spreading false claims to ease economic pressure and lower oil prices. He reiterated that Tehran would not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until his seven conditions were met. Rezaei has spent more than four decades in Iran’s defense establishment. He commanded the IRGC from 1981 to 1997, overseeing operations during the. Iran-Iraq War. In the 2006 Baztab interview, Rezaei also detailed how Iranian leaders distinguished their public rhetoric from military strategy. Although Khomeini and other Iranian officials called for “fighting until Saddam is overthrown” and “until the annoyance is eradicated,” Rezaei said Tehran’s real strategy was to “fight until a victory.” Iran vows ‘staggering’ strikes, raises missile range limit as US targets land routes Commanders and members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps meet with Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, Iran, on August 17, 2023. (Office of Iran’s Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News) Agency)/Reuters)”The world did not pay attention to the slogans,” Rezaei said in the interview, adding that foreign governments and intelligence agencies focused on the actions and diplomatic positions of Iranian leaders. Rezaei also said Iran had struggled to turn battlefield gains into diplomatic victories because it lacked international alliances and influence at the United Nations. Rezaei has since faced US sanctions and international scrutiny. addressed to senior Iranian officials appointed by the supreme leader. Rezaei had also been accused of participating in the July 1994 bombing of the Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, which killed 85 people. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP Interpol approved an Argentine request for a Red Notice against Rezaei in 2007 in connection with the bombing. 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