华盛顿——美国总统唐纳德·特朗普承认副总统J.D.万斯曾致信伊朗当局，但淡化了这一接触的重要性，称其重点是向该国提供医疗物资。
Trump says Vance reached out to Iran to offer medical supplies WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump acknowledged that Vice-President J.D. Vance wrote to Iranian authorities, but downplayed the significance of his outreach, saying it was focused on offering medical supplies to the country.
《华尔街日报》10月28日报道称，万斯致信伊朗官员穆赫辛·雷扎伊，试图重启和平谈判。这封信发出之际，特朗普正威胁在11月3日中期选举后对伊朗伊斯兰共和国发动新一轮打击。
The Wall Street Journal reported on Oct 28 that Vance wrote to an Iranian official, Mohsen Rezaee, in a bid to revive peace negotiations. The letter comes as Trump threatens a new round of strikes against the Islamic Republic after the Nov 3 midterm elections.
特朗普10月28日对记者讲话时，被问及是否指示万斯重启和平谈判，他回答“没有”，但承认确实批准万斯接触德黑兰。
Trump, speaking to reporters on Oct 28, said “no” when asked if he had directed Vance to restart peace negotiations, but acknowledged he did give Vance his approval to reach out to Tehran.
“他们在医疗物资和其他各种东西上需要帮助。他问我怎么看。我说，‘如果你想这么做，那没问题，’”特朗普说。
“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 said.
“基本上，就是把物资送进去，帮助那些身体不好的人。”伊朗战争现已进入第八个月，几乎没有迹象显示这场冲突有退出途径。
“Basically, it’s getting supplies in to help people that are not well.”The Iran war is now in its eighth month, with little indication of an off-ramp to the conflict.
随着特朗普权衡是否恢复攻击，美国一直在向波斯湾增派兵力，包括第三个航空母舰战斗群。尽管如此，这封信仍提供了美国主动接触的新迹象。
The US has been sending additional forces, including a third aircraft carrier group, toward the Persian Gulf as Trump weighs whether to resume attacks. Still, the letter offers a fresh sign of US outreach.
民调显示，在下周选举前，特朗普所在的共和党面临严峻的政治环境，选民对高昂的生活成本以及总统对伊朗战争的处理方式感到不满。
Polls show Trump’s Republican Party facing a daunting political climate ahead of next week’s election, with voters unhappy with high costs of living and the president’s handling of the Iran war.
这场冲突推高了汽油价格，加剧了将决定选举结果的民生经济问题。彭博社
The conflict has spiked gas prices, exacerbating pocketbook issues that will decide the election. BLOOMBERG