Trump confirms he approved Vance's contact with Iran over medical supplies

President Donald Trump said he had approved his deputy JD Vance's request to contact Iranian authorities, saying the move related to Iran's need for help with medical supplies, and denying that he had tasked him with relaunching peace talks, in remarks to reporters on the evening of Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, Washington time.

Trump downplays Vance's message

He said, "They need help with medical supplies and different things, and he asked my opinion and I told him if you want to do that, that's fine," adding that the aim is to get supplies to help people who are not well.

Trump denied when asked whether he had directed Vance to relaunch negotiations with Tehran.

Vance's message to Mohsen Rezaei

Trump's comments followed U.S. media reports that Vance had sent a message to Iranian official Mohsen Rezaei seeking to revive negotiations between Washington and Tehran.

Option of strikes after the midterms

The contacts come as Washington is considering the possibility of launching a new round of strikes on Iran after the midterm elections scheduled for Nov. 3, with U.S. officials telling Gulf states to prepare for a short, intense military campaign, while the United States continues to send reinforcements to the region, including a third carrier strike group.

Tehran sticks to the seven-day plan

In contrast, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said his country is in close, continuous contact with mediators to discuss ideas that ensure the implementation of its seven-day plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, stressing that Tehran is giving diplomacy a chance to succeed while its armed forces remain ready to defend the country.

An Iranian official had denied that Qatar had presented a new peace proposal, saying mediators had brought ideas he described as unacceptable, as the war entered its eighth month since it began in late February.

Read also: JD Vance contacts Mohsen Rezaei to revive negotiations