A fierce debate ensues at the White House with the president approving continued talks with Iran despite opposition from senior officials. Vice President Vance and the envoys pushed for an initial deal, while the defense and foreign secretaries demanded pressure and a strike. At the same time, Prime Minister Netanyahu and the Emirati leadership backed a hard line, while Saudi Arabia and Qatar prefer to avoid escalation. The decision to give the talks with Iran another chance was made at the White House after a particularly fierce debate Wednesday between Vice President JD Vance and US President Donald Trump, in which the war secretary and the secretary of state also took part.
According to sources familiar with the matter, the two secretaries assessed that at this stage, concessions could not be extracted from Iran without significant pressure, including the possibility of an attack and tougher economic sanctions. Vance, by contrast, argued that Iran's latest proposal, published by Israel Hayom, showed flexibility that made it possible to move toward an agreement, even an initial one, that would lead to an end to the fighting. Envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner also joined the discussion and backed Vance's position. According to information obtained by Israel Hayom, the three held talks in the hours before the meeting with leaders of Gulf states, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, which oppose a resumption of the fighting.
The confrontation escalated when Trump criticized Vance and the envoys, accusing them of taking an approach that enabled Iran to play for time and damage the image of the US and the presidency. Vance responded forcefully that the administration should seek to end the campaign, bring the soldiers home, lower oil prices and focus on domestic problems in the US, a response that surprised those present. During the discussion, the sides also returned to the issue of the response to Pakistan, which had conveyed messages between Iran and the US. In response, Vice President Vance's office said that "this entire anecdote is stone-cold fake news, and we would have said as much if this outlet had bothered to even reach out for comment." (Ed note: So now we know that the Doves include JD Vance, Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner. The Hawks are the two secretaries which should be Marco Rubio and Pete Hegseth.) (Read More)
