In brief
On a speech at the Washington Reflecting Pool, President Trump denied plans to strike Iran again, stressing that the U.S. has begun «major combat operations» but is open to a deal. Vice President J.D. Vance echoed the optimistic tone, noting progress in talks held in Doha with Qatari mediators. Both officials reiterated a hard line that Iran cannot rebuild its nuclear program, while reminding that kinetic and non‑kinetic options remain available. The situation remains uncertain, with sources admitting that negotiations are stalled by Iranian negotiators and that a definitive deadline has not been set.
On Monday, Nov. 2, 2026, President Donald Trump stood at the Washington Reflecting Pool and warned that the United States may not follow through on a threatened resumption of military strikes against Iran. In his remarks, Trump said that a negotiated deal could be reached with Tehran and that the U.S. had already begun “major combat operations” in Iran, though he denied that a new campaign was imminent.
Trump’s statement came after a week of U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran that triggered retaliatory attacks across the region, and amid political pressure from voters whose gasoline prices were high enough to influence the mid‑term election results. He told reporters that the war over Iran was a leading cause of the price surge and that President Trump was “under pressure to end the conflict.”
“Look, the president and I both feel pretty good about the prospects for potentially coming to a negotiated settlement. We’re going to keep on working at it,” Trump told reporters, according to Reuters.
Earlier on the same day, Vice President J.D. Vance echoed his comments, saying that Washington had made “progress” in talks with Iran. He highlighted that Iran must give a “firm commitment and a verifiable commitment that they don’t rebuild that nuclear program,” yet reassured that the administration retained both kinetic and non‑kinetic options if needed.
“The Iranians are always a little unpredictable, and as the president always says, he retains kinetic options. He retains non‑kinetic options, but we’ve certainly made some progress,” Vance said.
Both Trump and Vance pointed to ongoing diplomatic negotiations in Doha, where Iranian negotiators have been meeting for a third consecutive day with Qatari mediators. The talks aim to advance a “negotiated settlement” and end the conflict that has been in its ninth month. The U.S. believes Iran wants to make a deal, and political figures such as former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have urged Washington to launch immediate strikes, though Trump opted to let diplomatic channels continue.
Despite his assurances that “Iran will never possess a nuclear weapon,” Trump noted that assessing whether the condition could be enforceable was a challenge. He argued that economic pressure had crippled Iran’s finances, saying that the country had “no money, no gasoline and their people are getting very tired.”
In a separate interview, Trump remarked that the U.S. was not in a rush to decide whether to resume direct military strikes, but that “one way or the other, we will do something.” He further claimed that diplomatic arrangements were “coming together very nicely,” linking the expected deal to falling energy prices.
As of the latest statements, the U.S. has not set a deadline for Iran to comply, and the Iranian negotiators were reported to be saying that the pace of discussions was slower than the U.S. had anticipated. Yet, the administration maintains that a settled formula can be achieved if Iran provides an irreversible commitment to not rebuild its nuclear program.
What remains uncertain are whether new U.S. strikes will be launched after the mid‑terms, how far the negotiations in Doha will progress, and whether Iran can provide the verifiable guarantee demanded by Washington. The situation continues to balance on a tightrope between military options and diplomatic patience, with both sides acknowledging that the outcome is still unresolved.
