Trump said on Wednesday that Vance had sought his approval to contact Iranian authorities but denied directing him to restart peace negotiations.<\/p>\n
“They need help with medical supplies and various things. He asked me what I thought. I said, ‘if you want to do that, that’s OK,'” Trump told reporters.<\/p>\n
“Basically, it’s getting supplies in to help people that are not well,” he added.<\/p>\n
The Wall Street Journal reported that Vance had sent a letter to Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, seeking to restart negotiations between Washington and Tehran.<\/p>\n
The diplomatic contacts come as regional mediators led by Qatar seek an agreement <\/a>to prevent further military action, while US and Israeli officials prepare for possible strikes after the November 3 elections.<\/p>\n Vance seeks discussions on Iran’s nuclear program<\/p>\n Vance’s letter to Rezaei stressed that any negotiations aimed at preventing further US military strikes would require discussions on Iran’s nuclear program, Axios reported, citing a US official.<\/p>\n The official said Vance had proposed contacting Rezaei, who has direct access to Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, and that Trump had supported the initiative.<\/p>\n “The President was enthusiastic about the letter,” the official told Axios.<\/p>\n The Wall Street Journal reported that the outreach focused on exploring a possible framework for renewed negotiations <\/a>rather than presenting a detailed peace proposal.<\/p>\n According to the newspaper, Vance had previously expressed reservations in private about prolonging the war, which began in February, while publicly supporting the US military campaign.<\/p>\n The vice president previously led US negotiations with Iranian representatives, but those efforts did not produce a lasting agreement.<\/p>\n A central issue remains Washington’s demand for nuclear concessions before economic relief, while Tehran wants the US to lift its naval blockade, release frozen Iranian funds and allow oil exports<\/a> before negotiations move forward.<\/p>\n Qatar leads efforts to restart negotiations<\/p>\n Regional mediators led by Qatar, with support from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey, are working to restart negotiations between Washington and Tehran, according to Axios.<\/p>\n Qatari negotiator Ali al-Thawadi visited Tehran earlier this week to discuss possible terms for an agreement with the Trump administration.<\/p>\n One proposal under discussion would allow inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to visit Iranian nuclear facilities damaged during US and Israeli attacks in exchange for limited sanctions relief.<\/p>\n The arrangement could include waivers allowing Iran to export oil and the release of some frozen funds to purchase food and other humanitarian supplies, Axios reported, citing a regional source familiar with the discussions.<\/p>\n