US President Donald Trump said that the letter sent by Vice President J.D. Vance to a senior Iranian representative was related to the provision of medical supplies. Thus, he rejected reports that the contact was mainly aimed at resuming peace talks between Washington and Tehran.
“It's about them needing help with medical supplies and various other things. He asked me what I thought. I said if you want to do it, no problem“, Trump told reporters. He said the purpose was “to deliver materials to help people who are not feeling well“.
Iran received the letter, but did not respond
J.D. Vance sent the letter to the chairman of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Mohsen Rezaei. Iranian media reported that the document was received, but Tehran has not yet responded.
“The Wall Street Journal“ and “The New York Times“ reported that the letter was intended to explore the possibility of resuming negotiations between the United States and Iran. According to “The Wall Street Journal“ Vance sent it at the direction of Trump. When later asked if he had ordered the vice president to contact Iran to resume peace talks, the president replied, “No.”
Reuters said it had not been able to independently verify the letter. Iran’s mission to the United Nations in New York and Vance’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The Sanctions and Medical Supplies Dispute
Iran has long accused U.S. sanctions of hindering civilians’ access to medicine and medical equipment. In an August letter to the U.N. Security Council, Tehran accused the United States of deliberately depriving its citizens of food, medicine, medical equipment, energy and other essential goods.
Against this backdrop, Qatari mediators presented Iran with a new draft agreement to end the war on Sunday. However, a senior Iranian official said that Doha had only offered unacceptable ideas that did not constitute a real offer.
The development comes amid political pressure on the Trump administration. The war has affected global energy prices and lowered support for Republican Party candidates ahead of the US midterm elections. Trump's party has a slim majority in both houses of Congress, whose control will be decided in the elections.
Sources: bta.bg, uk.marketscreener.com, axios.com