Jared Kushner given mysterious nickname by Iranian and Russian operatives at high-stakes showdown

Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, has earned a nickname from his Russian and Iranian counterparts at the negotiating table.

‘Zyat’ in Moscow; ‘Groom’ in Tehran. They both mean the same thing: groom.

In Russia and Iran, where politics is still driven by family and patronage, this label implies: Kushner’s closeness to Trump is seen as his real reference.

He and Steve Witkoff, best known for Trump’s Gaza peace deal, are currently locked in intense negotiations seeking to end Iran’s nuclear ambitions and stop Russia’s rapacious land grab in Ukraine.

Unlike their predecessors in past American administrations, New York’s real estate tycoons do not lecture their colleagues on human rights.

They are seen as pragmatists willing to get to the bottom of important issues quickly.

After holding indirect talks with the Iranians at Oman’s embassy in Geneva on Tuesday morning, the two met with the Russians at the Intercontinental Hotel in Switzerland in the afternoon.

In particular, Kushner, the soft-spoken husband of Trump’s eldest daughter Ivanka, aroused admiration in the regime-controlled Iranian press, which called him the ‘Prince of the White House’.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) welcomes US Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff (center) and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner at the Kremlin in Moscow on January 22

Influential Iranian political analyst Ahmad Zeidabadi managed to lavish praise on Kushner while still finding room for bigotry.

“Kushner is an Orthodox Jew with a well-functioning brain,” he wrote in his Feb. 6 column.

‘He does not represent Netanyahu in these negotiations, but rather represents Trump’s pragmatic and soft side.’

Kushner rose to fame during Trump’s first term by brokering the Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between Israel and several Arab states and cemented his reputation as an honest broker in the Islamic world.

But the 45-year-old man has come under scrutiny for his business interests in the area.

Unlike Witkoff, who was sworn in as Special Envoy for the Middle East, Kushner holds no official position in government and is referred to only as a senior adviser to the president.

He continues to oversee Affinity Partners, a private equity firm backed by $2 billion from the Saudi Public Investment Fund and hundreds of millions more from the UAE and Qatar.

Speculation has also increased over Kushner’s “Gaza Riviera” vision (a proposal to turn the devastated coastline into luxury real estate).

A Ukrainian tank crew of the 33rd Separate Mechanized Brigade fires a projectile from a Leopard 2A4 tank during a field training exercise at an undisclosed location in Ukraine on April 30, 2025, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine

Donald Trump greets Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, on December 28, 2025

Witkoff’s son runs World Liberty Financial, a crypto startup that recently received a $500 million investment from a group affiliated with the UAE’s National Security Advisor Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed al-Nahyan.

A source speaking to the New York Times said that the 68-year-old was highly admired in the Kremlin for his charm and enthusiasm.

The Russians, who initially dealt with Witkoff on his own, also warmed up to Kushner, whose more methodical approach they appreciated.

Kushner explained his style in an interview last year after the completion of the 20-article Gaza agreement between Israel and Hamas.

‘Most of the people who do this are history professors because they have a lot of experience or they are diplomats. “Just being contracted is different, it’s just a different sport,” he said.

The duo even met personally with Vladimir Putin, who was reported by state media to have “warmly welcomed” them to talks to be held in the Kremlin in January.

However, the dizzying pace of the latest negotiations has experts worried.

‘Trump seems focused on quantity over quality, rather than the hard, detailed work of diplomacy,’ said Brett Bruen, a foreign policy adviser in the Obama administration who now heads the Global Situation Room strategic advisory.

Omani Foreign Minister Sayyed Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi met with US Special Representative Steve Witkoff and US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner in Geneva, Switzerland, on February 17, ahead of indirect US-Iran talks.

The US delegation left the Oman Embassy in Geneva on February 17, where indirect nuclear talks between the US and Iran were held.

“It doesn’t make much sense to address both issues at the same time, in the same place,” Bruen told Reuters.

Absent from the talks is Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is widely known for his insight into international affairs and gave a well-received speech at the Munich Security Conference last week.

Pushing is a grueling two-way effort.

Moscow demands that Kiev give up Donbas and be permanently barred from NATO membership, while the Americans are pushing for a freeze on the 800-mile front line and US-backed security guarantees.

A break on the Iranian front still remains unclear.

The United States is trying to expand negotiations to include non-nuclear issues, including Iran’s missile stockpile. Iran says it will only discuss restrictions on its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief and categorically denies discussing its missiles.