Vice President JD Vance has a message for anyone who thinks Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff are trading on insider information during US-Iran negotiations: not a chance.
Vance took to X on Thursday to dismiss a report from Drop Site News that accused the two Trump advisers of profiting from the talks. The report, citing an unnamed Iranian official, claimed Tehran calculated $9 billion in alleged market-manipulation profits by President Donald Trump's associates—mainly Kushner and Witkoff—and even requested $4.5 billion through intermediaries.
"This is completely bogus. I never received a message like this," Vance wrote. "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."
He added: "I see a lot of BS flying around and I normally just ignore it. But Steve and Jared are good dudes and I'm honored to work with them."
The Drop Site News report alleged that Iran warned Vance during talks in Switzerland that the US side was "abusing" negotiations and "more interested in exploiting insider knowledge to profit in financial markets than reaching a deal." It also claimed that "the exchanged texts will ultimately become part of the historical record."
Vance's denial came a day after he told 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."
The controversy unfolds as last month's US-Iran memorandum unravels. The accord extended a 60-day ceasefire, opened negotiations, and sought to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. But Washington says Iran violated it by attacking commercial vessels.
CENTCOM said Thursday that aircraft, drones, and warships struck dozens of Iranian military targets for a sixth consecutive night. "More than 50,000 US service members are operating across the Middle East and remain vigilant, lethal, and ready," it said.
Trump has threatened strikes into next week, saying energy targets would come last. He also dropped a proposed 20% Hormuz fee.
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