White House Cited Report From Call Linked to Vance

The White House cited a June report about negotiations with Iran among six Politico articles it said supported restricting the outlet’s access, even though the report was based on comments delivered during a White House-authorized background call. The identification of Vice President JD Vance as the official who made those comments has been reported but not confirmed by the White House. The June article attributed to a senior administration official an estimate that the chances of a preliminary agreement with Iran were 80% to 85%. The figure reflected the official’s assessment at the time of the call; it did not establish that an agreement was reached. A recording of the call, reported in the supplied accounts, captured a White House aide telling participants to attribute comments to a senior administration official and to treat the call as on background. A newsletter identified Vance as the official. The White House has not confirmed that identification.