U.S. President Donald Trump has not objected to Vice President J.D. Vance’s attempts to resume dialogue with Iran, „The Wall Street Journal“ reports. Vance has taken a leading role in efforts to find a diplomatic way out of the conflict after linking the war to the Republican Party’s heavy losses in the midterm elections.
According to Axios, the vice president sent a letter to Mohsen Rezaee, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, proposing the resumption of direct talks. Vance has spoken almost daily with mediators from Qatar and Pakistan. U.S. officials and regional sources say there has been some progress, but it is slow.
Trump has signaled that he will not block the diplomatic channel. At the same time, he continues to defend the decision to launch the military operation against Iran. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he does not expect a quick breakthrough and described some of Iran’s demands as unacceptable.
Failed Vote Against Hegseth Shakes Democrats
The House of Representatives rejected the possibility of advancing impeachment proceedings against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. By a vote of 211 to 204, lawmakers referred the resolution to a committee, effectively blocking the initiative at the end of the current Congress.
The resolution was introduced by Republican Thomas Massie and contains eight articles, primarily related to the administration’s actions in the war with Iran, as well as other military operations. Hegseth rejected the accusations and called the attempt to remove him a „political spectacle“.
The failure triggered heated disputes among Democrats. Eleven members of the party did not participate in the key vote, and their absence proved decisive, as the initiative failed to reach the required majority. Some of them cited traffic jams, medical reasons, and official commitments. Other Democrats accused them of failing to fulfill their duties.
„You have to show up and do your job,“ Michigan Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed told CNN, criticizing his colleagues who missed the vote. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said the possibility of a new proceeding would be discussed in January, when the new Congress begins its work.
Ministers to Get More Freedom in Public Statements
The White House plans to loosen central control over ministers’ public messaging, Fox News reports. The change is outlined in an internal memorandum, according to which ministers will have greater freedom to speak on behalf of the departments they lead.
The document provides for the position of „secretary for cabinet affairs“ to be transformed into director of cabinet relations. The new role will focus on coordination and support rather than the prior approval of every public statement.
The change comes after a leadership reshuffle at the White House. Stephen Miller took over as the president’s chief of staff, and the administration is seeking to combine a more unified political message with greater visibility for individual ministers.
Sources: axios.com, theguardian.com, foxnews.com