President Donald Trump framed Vice President JD Vance’s Iran contact as medical aid, while Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported Thursday that Tehran had received but not answered a letter from Vance.
Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Trump said Vance had sought his view on helping Iran obtain medical supplies and that he approved the outreach. Asked if he had tasked Vance with restarting peace talks, Trump said no. He described the aim as getting “help with medical supplies” to people who were ill.
The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that Vance’s message to Iranian Security Council chief Mohsen Rezaei sought to restart negotiations. Their accounts drew on U.S. officials and other people briefed on the letter. The Journal also reported that Trump directed Vance to send it. Reuters said it could not immediately verify the reports.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations (U.N.) in New York and Vance’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment, Reuters reported. The latest update follows EconoTimes’ account of Vance’s outreach amid U.S. warnings of possible strikes.
Reuters reported that the U.S.-Israeli war began in late February and that Washington later imposed a naval blockade intended to cut Iran’s oil export revenue. Iran has long argued that U.S. sanctions restrict civilian access to medicine. In an August letter to the U.N. Security Council, Tehran accused Washington of denying civilians food, medicine, medical equipment, energy and other essentials.
Reuters also reported that Qatari mediators sent Tehran a draft to end the war on Sunday. A senior Iranian official said the ideas were unacceptable and did not qualify as an offer.
The war’s effect on global energy costs has weighed on support for Republican candidates and Trump’s approval ratings ahead of the U.S. midterm elections, Reuters reported. Republicans hold narrow majorities in both chambers of Congress. The Nov. 3 election is the next major date cited in earlier reports on the outreach.
