JD Vance

Later on Tuesday, Iran officially cut off all direct communications with the US over Trump's threat. It is currently unclear if the nations will resume direct talks before the 8 p.m. EST deadline.

Trump has threatened to escalate strikes against Iran's power plants and bridges if a deal, including reopening the Strait of Hormuz, is not reached by 8 p.m. on Tuesday.

There is a growing contradiction between what Netanyahu advocates as the basic premises for success in all the arenas of military confrontation and what he feels he must do to remain in power.

The pair, widely viewed as potential successors to Trump, have been thrust into still-developing negotiations to end the war at a moment when the Republican Party is already weighing its future.

NATIONAL AFFAIRS: The month-long war now under way has done more than degrade Iran’s air defenses and cripple parts of its military-industrial complex - it has upended the diplomatic cast.

Reses, who keeps his X account private and does not give interviews, appears to view the trade-offs differently from his former mentor.

“We’ll see if we can make the right deal. We’ll see if they want to do it,” he said. “In the meantime, we’ll just keep blowing them away unimpeded.”

Iran's skepticism is one of the reasons US VP Vance has now become involved in the negotiations. Washington has sought to reassure Tehran that “this is not a ploy, but real negotiations."

A source told The Jerusalem Post that Iranian Parliament speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf has been leading the talks with the US.

Vance's comments appeared to be an effort to counter questions about whether his well-known anti-war and isolationist views put him at odds with Trump.