U.S. President Donald Trump clarified on Wednesday that Vice President J.D. Vance’s recent communication with Iran was intended to facilitate the delivery of medical supplies rather than to restart peace negotiations, following reports that Vance had reached out to Tehran’s top security official to revive diplomatic talks.

According to Iranian semi-official Tasnim news agency, Tehran has received a letter from Vance but has yet to issue a response. U.S. media outlets, citing U.S. officials and sources close to the matter, reported earlier that Vance had sent a letter to Mohsen Rezaei, the chief of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, with the aim of reopening peace negotiations. Neither Reuters nor Iranian or U.S. government sources independently confirmed these reports at the time.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Vance’s outreach was directed by Trump; however, the president later denied giving explicit orders for diplomatic engagement. “No,” Trump responded when asked if he instructed Vance to pursue peace talks. Instead, Trump said the initiative was focused on humanitarian assistance, explaining, “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 okay. Basically, it’s getting supplies in to help people that are not well.”

Requests for comment to Iran’s mission to the United Nations in New York and to Vance’s office were not immediately returned.

The United States and Israel initiated military operations against Iran at the end of February, coinciding with an intensified naval blockade aimed at cutting off Iran’s oil exports. These measures are part of broader efforts to economically isolate Iran. Tehran has consistently asserted that U.S. sanctions impede civilian access to essential goods, including medical supplies.

In a letter to the U.N. Security Council in August, Iran accused the United States of deliberately depriving its civilian population of access to “food, medicines, medical equipment, energy and other necessities,” asserting that these actions have had severe consequences for Iranians’ rights to “life, health, food and a decent standard of living.”