U.S. Vice President JD Vance dismissed as “completely bogus” a report accusing advisers Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff of profiting from U.S.-Iran negotiations, saying he never received Iran’s alleged message.
Vance Publicly Defends Kushner And Witkoff
“This is completely bogus. I never received a message like this,” Vance wrote in an X post on Thursday. “If I had, I would have said: Jared and Steve are trusted members of the president’s team and very dear friends. No one has done more than the two of them to work towards peace and prosperity in the region. The idea they’re trading on insider information is absurd.”
“I see a lot of BS flying around and I normally just ignore it,” he added. “But Steve and Jared are good dudes and I’m honored to work with them.”
Unverified Iran Claims Drive Fresh Dispute
Vance responded to a Drop Site News report citing an unnamed Iranian official. It said Tehran calculated $9 billion in alleged market-manipulation profits by President Donald Trump‘s associates, mainly Kushner and Witkoff, and requested $4.5 billion through intermediaries.
The report alleged Iran warned Vance during talks in Switzerland that they were “abusing” negotiations and were “more interested in exploiting insider knowledge to profit in financial markets than reaching a deal.” It added that “the exchanged texts will ultimately become part of the historical record.”
His denial followed Wednesday’s remarks to podcaster Joe Rogan that some Israeli officials were “manipulating and trying to change American public opinion to keep the war going on indefinitely.” Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump agreed that “foreign countries certainly do try to persuade American public opinion.”
Iran Accord Frays As Strikes Continue
Last month’s U.S.-Iran memorandum is unraveling. The accord extended a ceasefire for 60 days, opened negotiations and sought to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Washington says Iran violated it by attacking commercial vessels.
CENTCOM said on Thursday that aircraft, drones and warships struck dozens of Iranian military targets for a sixth consecutive night. “More than 50,000 U.S. service members are operating across the Middle East and remain vigilant, lethal, and ready,” it said.
Trump threatened strikes into next week, saying energy targets would come last. He also dropped a proposed 20% Hormuz fee.
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