Iran's security chief Mohsen Rezaei said he had studied a letter from US Vice President JD Vance and described its changed tone as "a good sign," while stating that Iran had not yet responded and would not reopen the Strait of Hormuz or enter negotiations unless Washington met seven conditions [3][27][29][36]. Rezaei said the conditions include lifting sanctions, unfreezing Iranian assets, ending the naval blockade, reducing US forces in the region, and ending hostilities on all fronts including Lebanon [3][11][12]. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said an Iranian delegation met Qatari mediators in Doha and called the American outreach "a positive step," while saying no meetings with US officials were currently planned [3][9][36]. Araghchi said Tehran would decide on direct or indirect talks only after Washington accepted Iran's conditions [16].
Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, in his first reported meeting with senior military commanders since taking office, ordered them to respond to any new US or Israeli attack with an "immediate, impactful and geographically unrestricted response" and to update target lists to include all US and Israeli assets [3][6][9]. Khamenei stated that if enemies launched new attacks, "it is the armed forces of the Islamic Republic and the Iranian nation that will determine the time and conditions for ending them" [6]. Mohammad Mokhber, adviser to the Supreme Leader, said Iran's defensive doctrine was shifting so that the source, scope and location of a threat no longer constrained Iran's response calculations [4]. Army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia warned that a renewed war could last longer than the previous conflict and that the US president would not dictate its timing or conditions [10][13][27]. IRGC spokesperson Hossein Mohebbi said "in a conflict with America, there are no geographical limitations; a vast theatre has been defined for inflicting damage upon the enemy" [27][29]. Defense Minister Mehrdad Achlaghi said those issuing threats would not dictate the scale, timing or consequences of Iran's defensive response [14][15].
US President Donald Trump said talks with Iran were going well but called Tehran "not very reliable," while saying the US had eliminated Iran's nuclear program and could handle one or two remaining sites — including the Kolang mountain complex known as Pickaxe Mountain near Natanz — in ten minutes [7][12][27]. Trump told an Iowa rally that "at some point, we will have to deliver a devastating blow to them" [17]. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Trump had not decided on new strikes and that Washington was open to a diplomatic solution [3][9][32]. The Vance letter to Rezaei, first reported by Axios, stressed that any negotiations must address Iran's nuclear program and represented the most senior US outreach to Tehran in months [34][35]. Trump publicly described the letter as being about getting needed medical supplies into Iran rather than restarting peace negotiations [35].
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pressed Trump in a call to strike Iran immediately after the US midterm elections on November 3, describing what he called a "historic, one-time opportunity" to remove the Iranian threat [1][3][29]. Trump appeared inclined to let negotiations run their course, a strategy that worried Netanyahu [1][22]. Israeli outlets reported completed offensive and defensive preparations and consultations with Gulf states, including Abraham Accords members [8]. Retired US General Jack Keane argued that Iran's leaders should be targeted alongside nuclear, energy and missile infrastructure, and retired Israeli General Yakov Amidror said an Iranian strike on Gulf energy facilities could justify expanded Israeli attacks on Iran's energy sector [18].
UAE diplomatic adviser Anwar Gargash said "we're hoping that there is a diplomatic breakthrough" while adding that the UAE was braced for the worst [7][27][32]. Qatari mediators held more than 12 hours of talks with Iran in Tehran and resumed in Doha, promoting a seven-day phased trust-building plan under which Iran would allow UN inspectors into bombed nuclear sites in exchange for partial US sanctions relief [19][21]. Pakistani army chief Asim Munir visited Tehran for the fourth time in 2026, meeting Iran's president, parliament speaker and security chief [47]. Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said Moscow was ready to mediate and would accept Iran's enriched uranium if that material was blocking talks [41]. IISS analyst Hasan Alhasan said a new round of fighting could be imminent, while stressing it was not inevitable [19]. International Crisis Group analyst Hamidreza Azizi said "for now, diplomacy and military preparations are proceeding simultaneously" [3][36].
German parliamentary state secretary Nils Schmid said Europe was "`massiv von den Auswirkungen des Krieges hier in der Golfregion betroffen — durch steigende Ölpreise, durch steigende Inflation, durch die Schwächung der Weltwirtschaft`" (massively affected by the effects of the war here in the Gulf region — through rising oil prices, through rising inflation, through the weakening of the world economy) [19]. Japanese shipping industry data showed 44 Japan-related vessels trapped in the Persian Gulf, with insurers halting war-risk cover [42]. South Korean refiners saw crude imports fall 8% while import costs rose $3.11 billion, with the government extending emergency supply measures [43]. Uzbekistan's finance ministry estimated the war could cost the country up to $1.5 billion through disrupted trade routes and higher commodity prices [45]. African states including Kenya, Nigeria, Ethiopia and Mozambique reported fuel shortages and price spikes, with Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed urging citizens to conserve fuel [46].
Tehran residents described stocking supplies and preparing to flee, with one resident saying his family had bought canned food, stored water and prepared a bag to leave Tehran or Iran after the elections [31]. Another said ordinary citizens could do nothing about the news [27][29]. A Maariv poll found 55% of Israelis feared another round of fighting with Iran [39]. Israeli opposition leader Yair Golan warned that Netanyahu may use a new confrontation with Iran to preserve his political survival, saying Netanyahu lacked the moral legitimacy and basic capacity to conduct another war [33]. US Senator Chris Murphy called the plan to restart the war "insane" [32]. Iranian Deputy Speaker Ali Nikzad said Tehran had "no intention" of negotiating on the nuclear issue and that Washington must acknowledge Iran's power [32]. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told Munir that "`ہماری قوم کو امریکہ پر اعتماد نہیں ہے اور اس کا ماننا ہے کہ اگر ہم مذاکرات کرتے ہیں، تو وہ ہم پر دوبارہ حملہ کر دیں گے`" (Our nation does not trust America and believes that if we negotiate, they will attack us again) [47].
Mediation efforts are set to continue through the US midterm elections on November 3, with Qatari and Pakistani channels active and Iran's response to the Vance letter still pending [3][21][47]. Araghchi said progress depends on US answers to Iran's questions [11][23]. The Guardian described the Vance letter as a possible last diplomatic off-ramp before a new US-Iran conflict, placing the decision point just after the midterms [34].