JD Vance's Letter to Iran: Last Chance to Avoid War?

The United States has sent a direct letter to Iran in a bid to prevent a new conflict. The letter came from US Vice-President JD Vance and was delivered to Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, on Sunday. The message offers to restart diplomatic talks. It was sent after mediation led mainly by Qatar. The move shows that Washington has not given up on diplomacy. Under the proposal, Tehran must first agree to commitments on its nuclear programme. If it does, the Strait of Hormuz would reopen within seven days. In return, the US would ease sanctions. Hopes of avoiding a major new war between the two countries may now rest on Iran's reply. The timing matters: the letter arrived soon after Tuesday's midterm elections in the US.