In brief
In November 2026 President Donald Trump publicly questioned whether the United States would resume military strikes on Iran after the midterm elections. He urged voters to consider his administration’s efforts to keep Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and remarked that a diplomatic settlement seemed possible. Vice President J.D. Vance echoed this optimism, noting progress in talks while stressing the need for a verifiable commitment from Iran. Iranian negotiators remain in Doha pursuing a truce as tensions stay high.
Washington, November 2 – President Donald Trump took the podium at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and said he might not follow through on a threatened resumption of military attacks against Iran, a threat that had loomed in U.S. discussions since the U.S. and Israeli forces struck Iranian targets on February 28, 2026.
Asked whether he was considering another strike after the U.S. midterm elections, Trump answered: “No.” He then added that a negotiated settlement with Tehran ‘could happen’ and suggested the U.S. could let “the deal cool the economy and bring down gasoline prices.”
In a separate comment, Trump emphasized that Iran must never possess a nuclear weapon, saying the country “could never function in the same way” if it did.
Trump’s remarks came after a series of talks in Doha, where Iranian negotiators sat for a third consecutive day with Qatari mediators, aiming for a deal to end the war that has already pushed gasoline prices to record highs.
Vice President J.D. Vance echoed the president’s cautious optimism in a Monday interview. He said he “feels pretty good” about the prospects for a negotiated settlement and that Washington had “made progress” in talks with Iran.
Vance noted that although U.S. and Israeli forces had successfully targeted Iranian leadership earlier that month, the administration was prepared to keep kinetic and non‑kinetic options open if negotiations stalled. He added, “We do think that there is a pathway there, but it really does require a firm commitment and a verifiable commitment that they don’t rebuild that nuclear program.”
When asked whether Iran had been given a deadline before strikes resume, Vance said: “No, we haven’t set deadlines.” The vice president also highlighted the importance of ensuring Iran does not restart its nuclear program.
Both Trump and Vance acknowledged that Iranian negotiators had been unpredictable, yet the U.S. remains committed to preventing a nuclear foothold in Tehran. Trump said, “We wiped out their leaders – first level of leaders, the second level of leaders, and they are asking us to stop doing that, and we will.”
Qatari mediators continue to press for a truce amid ongoing tensions, while the U.S. pledges that a renewed nuclear program in Iran remains unacceptable. The conflict, uprooting Iran’s economy, is also labeled a cause for soaring gasoline prices that are said to be pressing on voters in the United States.
