Does drinking water with dates at iftar, to facilitate swallowing them, contradict the Sunnah, or is the Sunnah to break the fast with dates only?

It is recommended to break the fast with fresh dates (rutab); if not available, then with dried dates (tamr); otherwise, with water. Drinking water with fresh or dried dates may cause one to miss the virtue of the fresh dates reaching the fasting person's stomach first, but there is no harm in that. This virtue may not be missed if there is a need, or if the water and fresh dates reach the stomach simultaneously, or if the water helps in swallowing the fresh dates.