Iran’s security chief Mohsen Rezaei says the tone of a letter from United States Vice President JD Vance has “completely changed”, describing the shift as a positive sign in the standoff over a possible new war.
Speaking to Iranian state television on Saturday, Rezaei said he had read the letter but had not yet responded. “I read the letter. I haven’t yet responded. Their tone has completely changed,” he said, according to reports of the interview carried by the Sunday Guardian, ET Now and Gulf News.
The letter was delivered through Qatari mediators and reportedly proposes a framework for restarting negotiations. Its contents have not been disclosed, and this article does not quote or summarise them beyond that reported fact.
What Tehran is — and is not — saying
Rezaei’s remarks are a claim by Tehran about Washington’s approach, not an agreement. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Al Jazeera that Tehran had studied the letter and that an Iranian delegation was in Doha continuing talks with mediators, but that Iran was not yet ready for direct negotiations with American officials.
Araghchi welcomed what he called Washington’s latest attempt to reopen dialogue, while maintaining that Tehran had not agreed to resume direct talks. Gulf News reported that Araghchi said: “The American side’s attempt to open the door to dialogue and understanding more broadly is a positive step.”
Rezaei also tied any progress to Iran’s conditions. Al Jazeera reported that he said Tehran awaits Washington’s response after the latest meeting with mediators, and that among Iran’s seven conditions is international recognition of its agreement with Oman regarding the Strait of Hormuz. He said the strait would remain closed until Iran’s conditions are met, and that no new decision had been taken to change Iran’s nuclear doctrine.
Those conditions are Rezaei’s stated positions. They are not agreed terms, and no deal has been announced.
A separate meeting: Saudi Arabia and Japan
On the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Atlanta, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan met Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi on Saturday to discuss threats to navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb.
According to Japan’s foreign ministry, as reported by ET Now and the Sunday Guardian, the two ministers discussed the impact of regional tensions on energy security and the importance of restoring safe maritime navigation. They also discussed Houthi attacks on Saudi territory, which they condemned. This meeting is a separate diplomatic development; it is not an Iranian concession and it does not change the status of the Vance letter talks.
Trump’s separate remarks
Separately, President Donald Trump said on Saturday in Florida that negotiations with Iran were “going fine” but that Tehran was “not very reliable”, and repeated his threat that the United States could strike a suspected nuclear site known as Pickaxe Mountain “in 10 minutes”. Those remarks, reported by the New Indian Express and the Times of Israel, are Trump’s own comments — they are not the contents of Vance’s letter, and Iran has denied any nuclear work at that site.
Related coverage: Vance sent letter to Iran’s security chief Rezaei in bid to revive peace talks and Iran’s Khamenei orders ‘geographically unrestricted’ military response to any new attack.
What happens next
Three things are now awaited: Rezaei’s formal response to the letter, Washington’s response to the latest mediator discussions, and whether the Doha talks produce any agreed next step. Until one of those happens, the tone shift remains a diplomatic signal, not a settlement — and the underlying disagreements over Iran’s nuclear programme, the US naval blockade, sanctions relief and oil sales remain unresolved.
Sources
Al Jazeera liveblog, “Iran war updates: Tehran says US ‘shifted tone’ in Vance letter”, 31 October 2026, https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/liveblog/2026/10/31/iran-war-live-oil-tankers-hit-in-hormuz-trump-says-conflict-will-end-soon ; Gulf News, “US-Iran Standoff: Tehran Acknowledges Shift in Washington’s Diplomatic Tone”, https://gulfnews.com/amp/story/world%2Famericas%2Fhas-the-us-iran-standoff-reached-a-turning-point-tehran-sees-major-shift-in-washington-s-tone-1.500731252 ; Sunday Guardian, “Iran Says US Has ‘Completely Shifted Tone’ in JD Vance’s Letter”, 1 November 2026, https://sundayguardianlive.com/world/us-israel-iran-war-latest-news-iran-says-us-has-completely-shifted-tone-in-jd-vances-letter-japan-saudi-arabia-discuss-maritime-navigation-threats-315156/ ; ET Now, “Iran sees shift in US tone as Vance proposes peace talks”, 1 November 2026, https://www.etnownews.com/news/us-iran-war-news-iran-sees-shift-in-us-tone-as-vance-proposes-peace-talks-trump-says-nuclear-sites-can-be-hit-in-10-minutes-top-developments-article-156444227/amp
Frequently asked questions
What did Rezaei actually say? That he had read Vance’s letter, had not yet responded, and that Washington’s tone had “completely changed”.
Has Iran agreed to direct talks? No. Araghchi said Tehran welcomed the attempt to reopen dialogue but was not yet ready for direct talks.
Has the Strait of Hormuz reopened? No. Rezaei said it would remain closed until Iran’s conditions are met.
