Times of Israel
US President-elect Donald Trump is considering tapping Richard Grenell, his former intelligence chief, to be a special envoy for Iran, two people familiar with the transition plans told Reuters Thursday.
‘He’s definitely in the running,’ said a person familiar with transition deliberations who asked not to be identified.
No final decisions on either personnel or strategy on Iran have been made official yet by Trump, including whether to slap fresh sanctions on the country, pursue diplomacy, or both, in order to halt its nuclear program.
Neither Trump’s team nor Grenell responded to requests for comment. Trump’s plans for the role have not previously been reported.
But his consideration of a key ally for such a posting sends a signal to the region that the new US president may be open to talks with a country he has previously threatened.
In the role, Grenell is expected to be tasked with speaking with countries in and beyond the region about the Iran issue as well as taking Tehran’s temperature on possible negotiations, said one of the people.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian, who is viewed as relatively moderate, said following Trump’s election that Tehran must ‘deal with the US’ and ‘manage’ relations with its arch-foe.
Iran has sustained a series of strategic setbacks after its proxies Hamas and Hezbollah went to war against Israel last year — with Hamas invading southern Israel and massacring 1,200 people and Hezbollah pounding northern Israel with rocket barrages — prompting Israel to hit back and decimate their leadership, infrastructure and weapons stockpiles. Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas all avowedly seek to destroy Israel.
The ouster of Iranian ally Bashar al-Assad in Syria by Islamist rebels last week has been another significant blow to Iran’s regional influence.
Tensions remain high more than a year after Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, launching the Gaza war. Hezbollah began attacking across the border from Lebanon the next day in support of Gaza. The war in Gaza, which ignited the regional unrest, is still ongoing while Israel and Hezbollah reached a fragile ceasefire agreement last month.
It’s not the first job Trump has considered for Grenell, who served as Trump’s ambassador to Germany, a special presidential envoy for Serbia and Kosovo peace negotiations, and as acting director of national intelligence during Trump’s 2017-2021 term.
After campaigning for Trump in the lead-up to the November 5 election, he was a top contender to be Secretary of State and special envoy for the Ukraine war. Those jobs went to US Senator Marco Rubio and retired lieutenant general Keith Kellogg, respectively.
Trump is scheduled to take office next month.