The White House is pushing back on media reports citing anonymous “regional sources” claiming that the Iranian regime wants Vice President JD Vance to lead negotiations because of his “anti-war” stance, with an official telling Breitbart News that the stories are false and an obvious “foreign propaganda campaign.”
On Tuesday, CNN reported that Iranian representatives indicated to the Trump administration that they would rather continue talks with Vance, instead of Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
CNN’s Kylie Atwood wrote that Iran’s regime would “prefer to engage with Vice President JD Vance,” citing two unnamed “regional sources” in her report.
“The perception is that Vance would be intent on wrapping up the conflict,” one of the sources allegedly said.
The New York Post ran a similar story on Tuesday, with the outlet claiming that Vance is “quietly emerging as a key player in potential Iran talks as Tehran signals it wants to deal directly with him,” citing “sources familiar with discussions.”
“The behind-the-scenes insight positions Vance — long seen as a skeptic of foreign military entanglements — as a possible lead negotiator, reflecting both his growing clout inside the administration and a belief among Iranian officials that he represents a different kind of American interlocutor,” the New York Post‘s Caitlin Doornbos and Emily Goodin wrote.
“They want to deal with the vice president because he’s anti-war,” one of the outlet’s sources allegedly said.
Neither CNN nor the New York Post clarified if their sources were even Iranian or if they may or may not have a foreign interest in throwing dirt on U.S.-Iran negotiations.
Vance has backed Trump on the war with Iran, telling reporters earlier this month, “What the president said consistently, going back to 2015 — and I agreed with him — is that Iran should not have a nuclear weapon.”
“I trust President Trump can get the job done, to do a good job for the American people, and to make sure that the mistakes of the past aren’t repeated,” he added, referring to previous wars in the Middle East that were drawn out for decades.
When asked about rumors that Vance may take the lead on negotiations with Iran, Trump told reporters that Vance is “involved,” but emphasized that it remains a team effort:
“Well, he’s involved in them — JD is involved, and Marco’s involved, and Jared Kushner is involved, very smart guy, and Steve Witkoff, smart guy, is involved,” the president said. “And I’m involved.”
When contacted for comment on the claims about the Iranians wanting Vance as lead negotiator, a White House official told Breitbart News that “These stories are utterly false.”
“This obvious op sourced entirely to anonymous or ‘regional’ sources is clearly a coordinated foreign propaganda campaign meant to undermine the president,” the White House official stated.
Daily Caller editor and radio personality Vince Coglianese said CNN’s story seems like “foreign propaganda” in a post on X:
“This ‘Iran really wants to negotiate with JD Vance’ story smells like a gigantic, stinking pile of foreign propaganda,” Coglianese wrote. “‘Two regional sources’??? If you’ve been dealing with Kushner and Witkoff, you’re not going to JD VANCE for a lighter touch.”
“Just ask Zelensky,” he added, referring to the vice president’s no-nonsense approach to the Ukrainian president.
Republican strategist Andrew Surabian concurred, writing on X that “CNN fell for a coordinated foreign propaganda op meant to undermine President Trump, VP Vance and the entire Admin, as they engage in negotiations.”
The New York Post‘s Caitlin Doornbos later reframed her article’s point, writing, “It’s not that Iran thinks Vance would have a softer touch.”
“[I]t’s that they think Witkoff and Kushner didn’t understand what Iran was offering during talks that precipitated the bombings, a US source involved in mediation efforts told me,” she stated.
Olivia Rondeau is a politics reporter for Breitbart News based in Washington, DC. Find her on X/Twitter and Instagram.
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