The Blockade Squeezes Iran and JD Vance

On Wednesday afternoon, the Wall Street Journal caught wind of JD Vance’s latest contribution to Donald Trump’s mounting headaches. Convinced, as he claims to be, that the conflict with Iran is the beginning and end of the GOP’s troubles, the vice president is reportedly open to a face-to-face meeting with Mohsen Rezaei, a former commander and secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.

Rezaei insisted the reports were not true, but the president must have taken the trial balloon seriously. Within hours of the Journal’s reporting, Trump announced that Vance had been taken off the Iran portfolio.

About the Author

Noah Rothman

Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.

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On Wednesday afternoon, the Wall Street Journal caught wind of JD Vance’s latest contribution to Donald Trump’s mounting headaches. Convinced, as he claims to be, that the conflict with Iran is the beginning and end of the GOP’s troubles, the vice president is reportedly open to a face-to-face meeting with Mohsen Rezaei, a former commander and secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.

Rezaei insisted the reports were not true, but the president must have taken the trial balloon seriously. Within hours of the Journal’s reporting, Trump announced that Vance had been taken off the Iran portfolio.

About the Author

Noah Rothman

Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.