Vice President JD Vance has quietly contacted one of Iran's most powerful hardliners to try to restart peace negotiations, even as Trump threatens to resume the war after next week's midterm elections.

• Vance sent the outreach at Trump's direction, and Trump is aware of it, though no specific peace plan has been discussed yet, just a possible framework for talks.
• Some US officials think dealing directly with Iran's hardliners, who gained power after the US and Israel killed regime leaders earlier in the war, could actually produce a better outcome than talking to more moderate figures.
• Iran has reason to distrust Washington, since the US has broken signed deals before and struck Iran twice during past negotiations, so a real breakthrough is far from guaranteed.
• Trump may personally want the war to end, since it has hurt his approval ratings and the economy, but pressure from pro-Israel groups shaping US foreign policy keeps pulling him back toward renewed conflict.

Outlook: Peace remains unlikely in the near term, with Trump still threatening a short, intense strike on Iran after the midterms if talks don't produce results.