Vance: Agreement Reached to Establish Direct Channel Between U.S. Forces and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard

"Preventing Military Escalation"

AP Yonhap News

U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance announced that an agreement has been reached to establish a direct communication channel between U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to prevent heightened military tensions between the United States and Iran. This measure is seen as a preemptive step to avoid the risk of a breakdown in negotiations due to accidental clashes during follow-up talks after the signing of the ceasefire memorandum of understanding (MOU).

According to UnHerd, a British media outlet, on the 25th (local time), Vice President Vance stated in an interview following a high-level meeting with Iran held on June 22 in Lake Lucerne, Switzerland, “We have been working to establish a direct communication channel with Iran to prevent future military escalation,” and explained, “The approach is for each side—CENTCOM and IRGC—to send a designated official to Doha, Qatar for communication.”

Previously, the U.S. government announced the establishment of a separate “Lebanon Deconfliction Mechanism,” a communication channel between U.S. forces, Israeli, and Lebanese military officials to prevent accidental clashes. It remains undecided whether the communication channel with Iran will operate jointly with the Lebanon Deconfliction Mechanism or separately.

Vice President Vance emphasized, “This negotiation is also linked to broader regional tension reduction, including Lebanon,” adding, “Related deconfliction mechanisms were discussed quite positively during our talks with Iran.”

He continued, “We recognize the right of self-defense for all countries in the region, including Israel, but the United States wants such rights to be exercised within the framework of de-escalation.” However, he also noted that discrepancies between Iran’s internal messaging and actual actions remain a variable, and the future success of the negotiations depends on Tehran’s implementation.

It is analyzed that both the United States and Iran decided to establish a direct channel as concerns about accidental clashes over control of the Strait of Hormuz increased even after the MOU was signed. According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), a Singapore-flagged cargo ship was attacked in the Strait of Hormuz on the same day. Citing U.S. officials, the WSJ reported, “The Singapore-flagged cargo ship Ever Lovely was hit by a drone, damaging the ship’s bridge but causing no casualties,” and added, “It is believed to have been carried out by the IRGC.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.