No Iran deal needed, Trump tells Vance to focus on corruption in Democrat-run states

Donald Trump said the US no longer needed an Iran deal and reassigned JD Vance. The move signals reliance on sanctions and a pivot towards alleged domestic corruption.US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance. US President Donald Trump on Thursday said Washington no longer needed a deal with Iran and directed Vice President JD Vance to shift his "complete and total attention" to alleged crime and corruption in Democratic-run cities and states.Trump's directive came a day after The Wall Street Journal reported that Vance was considering face-to-face talks with a senior Iranian security official to explore a possible path towards peace. The vice president had been leading diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict, including negotiations with Iranian officials in Pakistan earlier this year."We don’t need a deal with Iran. Those days have long since passed. We’ve got their money, Hundreds of Billions of Dollars, and we’ve got their Strait!" Trump wrote on Truth Social, referring to the Strait of Hormuz.The president also accused Democratic-led states of widespread corruption and claimed billions of dollars were being stolen every month. He said tackling the alleged criminal activity could help balance the US budget. TRUMP SAYS BLOCKADE, SANCTIONS ARE WORKINGTrump's remarks mark a shift from his earlier suggestions that Tehran could become more willing to negotiate after the US elections. His administration has instead signalled this week that it believes the naval blockade and economic sanctions imposed on Iran are working, reducing the need for either further military escalation or fresh diplomatic efforts.The US military is currently enforcing a blockade on Iranian ports while attempting to secure safe passage for international shipping through the strategically important Strait of Hormuz. Iran's military said on Thursday that four oil tankers had been hit by explosions after ignoring Iranian warnings. The White House has not immediately commented on Trump's directive. Vance's office also did not respond to a request for comment.VANCE HAD LED DIPLOMATIC EFFORTS WITH IRANVance, who has long been viewed as sceptical of the war launched by the US and Israel against Iran in February, had taken a leading role in diplomatic efforts to end the conflict.He led negotiations with Iranian officials in Pakistan in April, which resulted in a June memorandum of understanding aimed at pausing the fighting. However, the understanding broke down within weeks.Iranian state media reported late last month that Tehran had received a letter from Vance seeking to revive negotiations with Washington. Trump subsequently said he had not instructed the vice president to reach out to Iran.The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that Vance was considering a face-to-face meeting with a senior Iranian security official. Such a meeting would have placed him at the centre of renewed efforts to negotiate an end to the conflict. Reuters has not independently confirmed the possibility of the talks.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, meanwhile, said on Tuesday that Iran's demands for a potential agreement were "absurd". Speaking after discussions with US allies in Paris, Rubio cited Tehran's demand for war reparations and said Trump would not agree to what he described as a bad deal.VANCE BLAMED IRAN WAR FOR REPUBLICAN MIDTERM LOSSESTrump's latest directive also comes after Vance publicly acknowledged the political costs of the Iran war following the Republicans' poor performance in last week's midterm elections.The vice president, widely viewed as a leading contender for the Republican presidential nomination in 2028, partly blamed the financial burden of the conflict for the party's losses to Democrats. He also described an earlier recommendation he had made to end the war as "sound advice".Trump, however, defended the military campaign, arguing that it was necessary to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.In Thursday's social media post, Trump said he had asked Vance to concentrate instead on alleged corruption and criminal activity in Democratic-governed states, including Minnesota, California and Illinois."The Blue States, such as Minnesota, California, Illinois, and many more, are all poorly run, corrupt disasters. Billions of Dollars is being stolen each and every month," Trump wrote.He added that recovering the money through action against alleged large-scale criminal activity could help balance the federal budget.- EndsWith inputs from Reuters