Trump pulls Vance off Iran diplomacy and declares deal no longer needed

President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that the United States is no longer seeking negotiations with Iran, in a statement that appeared to undercut his own vice president, JD Vance, who had worked to cast himself as a mediator in the conflict.

"We don't need a deal with Iran. Those days have long since passed..We've got their money, Hundreds of Billions of Dollars, and we've got their Strait!" Trump posted on social media, in a reference to the Strait of Hormuz.

The remarks reversed Trump's position from earlier this week, when he said there was "momentum" behind a political settlement with Iran and that talks were under way.

In the same statement, Trump appeared to shift Vance away from foreign policy, tasking him instead with investigating what the president called the "corrupt disasters" of Democrat-run cities and states. "I have asked the Vice President to focus his complete and total attention on the Massive Corruption and Crime taking place," Trump wrote.

Vance had placed himself at the heart of efforts to revive a political settlement with Tehran and had been vocal on US policy in the Middle East since Democrats secured a historic landslide in the midterm elections on 3 November. "The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night," Vance wrote on X, also faulting the Republican Party's ties to Israel for the election rout.

Middle East Eye first reported, citing Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin speaking at a press briefing, that Qatar was set to host a meeting between Vance and Iranian national security official Mohsen Rezaei. Iran officially denied that any talks were scheduled, though behind the scenes Washington appeared to be pressing for a meeting. The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that Vance had initiated the outreach to Rezaei and that Trump had signed off on it. The president's abrupt reversal on Thursday raised the possibility of disagreement among his advisors.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington feels no urgency to reach an agreement because it believes it holds the advantage in the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran and the United States are engaged in rival blockades.

Trump's decision to halt negotiations is expected to unsettle regional allies whose economies have been strained by the uncertainty surrounding US policy. "We should.. prepare for a long period of uncertainty in which neither a decisive resolution nor stable regional order can be taken for granted," said Anwar Gargash, diplomatic advisor to UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed.

Other American partners urged continued dialogue. Speaking at a conference in Sulaymaniyah, Iraq, Bafel Talabani, head of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan party, said Washington must "talk" with Tehran. "We don't find it difficult talking to the Iranians.. As an ally of Mr Trump and, strangely, an ally of the Iranians, [I say] the mighty US can do it," he said.