Did Kushner and Vitkov profit from the war in the Middle East? What Iran claimed in private message to Vance
Iranian negotiators reportedly sent private message to US vice president JD Vance A senior Iranian official told Drop Site News that during U.S.-Iran talks in Switzerland in late June, he warned that the continued presence of President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner would undermine the chances of a lasting deal.The official said Iran indicated to Vance that the two were more interested in using inside knowledge of the negotiations to profit in financial markets than in reaching a deal. Iranian negotiators also expressed concern about Kushner’s repeated leaks to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.“Even before the talks started in Islamabad in April, we sent multiple messages to Trump through the Pakistanis warning them of the overall destructive role Vitkov played in previous negotiations,” the Iranian official said.
Iran seeks $9 billion in damages over alleged market manipulation
The official said that weeks before the memorandum of understanding was signed, Iran submitted written documents to mediators proving that “individuals close to President Trump” were abusing war and diplomatic developments with Iran to manipulate financial markets.Iran has calculated the profits from such alleged manipulation to have reached $9 billion and has formally demanded a share of the proceeds. “We have conveyed through intermediaries that $4.5 billion of this amount should also be allocated to the Iranian side,” the official said.
The White House denies the claim
A U.S. official denied Iran’s claims, telling Drop Site News: “Information of this nature was never communicated to the Vice President or his team. Additionally, any suggestion that other members of the President’s trusted negotiating team were motivated by anything other than serving the President and fulfilling his mission is false.”White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said: “Such a message has never been conveyed to the United States. Sadly, the ‘journalists’ at Drop Site News are so filled with hatred for America and so lacking in respect for themselves that they have become loud propagandists for the Iranian regime.”Kushner and Witkoff did not respond to requests for comment.
Iran thinks Vance deserves more
The Iranian official said Tehran believed Vance brought a “more sober, professional and realistic perspective” to the negotiations. A source close to Vance said the vice president is looking broadly for partners on Iran, describing it as “diplomacy 101.”Robert Malley, the former senior U.S. negotiator on the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, said the Iranians’ efforts to establish direct communication with Vance made strategic sense, but such channels were of limited significance. “If President Trump today can’t speak for the president of tomorrow, how can J.D. Vance?” he told Drop Site News.The future of any deal between Iran and the United States remains in doubt, with Trump declaring the ceasefire “over” while suggesting diplomatic talks would continue.
