Trump downplays Vance's letter to an Iranian hard-liner, saying it is about medical supplies as he threatens fresh strikes
Donald Trump, JD Vance and Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office in July. Trump has denied that a letter Vance sent to Iran's top security official was intended to revive peace negotiations, insisting it concerned…
Vance sent the letter to Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council and a former IRGC commander, via Qatari mediators on Sunday 25 October. Trump told reporters he said "if you want to do that, that's OK" when Vance asked permission, insisting the outreach was purely about getting medical supplies to sick Iranians — contradicting reports that it proposed restarting peace negotiations ahead of Tuesday's midterm elections.
Iran's IRGC-linked Tasnim agency confirmed receipt but said Tehran has not yet replied, insisting its seven conditions remain non-negotiable.
According to reports, Vance put himself forward to head the US delegation personally and suggested a meeting to determine whether negotiations could be revived, with Iran's nuclear programme a central demand.
The Iran war is now eight months old; a third US aircraft carrier group is heading to the Persian Gulf as Trump weighs resuming strikes after the midterms.
