US vice president could join potential direct negotiations with Iran — newspaper

WASHINGTON, April 7. /TASS/. US Vice President JD Vance will take part in potential direct talks with Iranian representatives if ongoing contacts through intermediaries lead to them, Politico reported on Monday, citing sources. According to the sources, "Vance is on standby, prepared to jump into sensitive negotiations with Iran if backchannel talks advance to the point of a direct meeting with Iranian officials." The newspaper noted that at this stage, US special presidential envoy Steve Witkoff and the American leader’s son-in-law Jared Kushner are involved in consultations with Iran, but "Vance could be tagged in if the pair make sufficient progress." Earlier, US President Donald Trump said that negotiations between Washington and Tehran are underway with the participation of Vance and Witkoff. The United States and Israel launched a military operation against Iran on February 28. Major Iranian cities, including Tehran, were struck. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced a retaliatory operation, targeting sites in Israel. US military bases in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE were also hit.