Trump says Vance's outreach to Iran focused on medical supplies

US President Donald Trump said that Vice President JD Vance's outreach to Iran was about helping the country get medical supplies, after US media reported Vance had written to Tehran's top security official to revive peace talks.Iran has received a letter from Vance but it has not responded to it yet, the country's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Thursday, adding that Tehran wants the US to meet its conditions and "any position that disrupts this definitive framework of Iran is unacceptable."The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that Vance had sent a letter to Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Mohsen Rezaei to restart peace negotiations and avoid another war between the two countries.It quoted a source as saying that the letter was sent at the direction of Trump, adding that "Vance is testing whether Tehran and Washington could find enough common ground to persuade Trump not to give a final order for a short, intense attack on Iran in the coming weeks."When asked by reporters later on Wednesday if he directed Vance to reach out to Iran to restart peace negotiations, Trump said: "No.""What that is they need help with medical supplies and various things. He (Vance) asked me what I thought. I said, if you want to do that, that's okay. Basically, it's getting supplies in to help people that are not well," Trump told reporters.Iran has long blamed US sanctions for hindering civilian access to medical supplies.In an August letter to the UN Security Council, Iran accused the US of intentionally depriving civilians "of access to food, medicines, medical equipment, energy and other necessities, with grave consequences for their rights to life, health, food and a decent standard of living."Meanwhile, US military options against Iran remain under consideration. The US military's senior officer overseeing the Middle East, Admiral Brad Cooper, met Trump at the White House on Thursday to outline military options in Iran, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing US officials and other people with direct knowledge of the meeting. Cargo ships lie at anchor in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, October 24, 2026. /VCG Cargo ships lie at anchor in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, October 24, 2026. /VCG Tehran stands firm on conditionsIran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Thursday that Tehran's conditions had been repeatedly and clearly communicated to mediators and that progress can only be achieved if Iran's seven conditions are met.The "carrot-and-stick approach has no effect on Iran," Ghalibaf added.Conditions Iran says must be met before it will reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz shipping route include, among other demands, lifting the US blockade on Iranian ports, lifting US sanctions on Iranian oil exports and ending hostilities on all regional fronts.The latest diplomatic push has yet to produce a breakthrough. Qatari mediators presented Iran with a new draft deal on Sunday to end the war, but a senior Iranian official said Doha had only put forward unacceptable ideas that did not amount to an offer.Tensions in the region were further underscored on Thursday when a vessel traveling outbound through the Strait of Hormuz caught fire following an incident about 25 nautical miles northeast of Khasab, Oman, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO). The cause of the fire was unknown, and the status of the crew, extent of damage and environmental impact were also unknown, UKMTO said, citing a third-party report.The prolonged US-Iran confrontation has also had mounting economic and political repercussions for Washington. Rising global energy costs linked to the conflict have weighed on support for Republican candidates and undermined Trump's approval ratings ahead of the US midterm elections, which will determine control of Congress.(With input from agencies)