WASHINGTON — The United States has carried out defensive strikes against several Iranian targets in the Strait of Hormuz, according to a U.S. official.
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U.S. Vice President JD Vance struck a cautiously hopeful tone Monday, saying an agreement with Iran may still be possible and could avert President Donald Trump’s threat to order additional attacks after the U.S. midterm elections.
Vance sent a letter last week to Iran’s security chief, Mohsen Rezaei, though the White House has disclosed little about its contents. Trump said the message dealt with providing Iran “medical supplies and various things.”
On Monday, however, Vance indicated that ongoing contacts could produce a diplomatic breakthrough.
“We’ve had a number of good conversations with the Iranians,” Vance told reporters when questioned about the letter. “I actually just spoke with the president of the United States about an hour ago about this. 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.”
His remarks came as tensions remained high over the possibility that Washington could resume a full-scale military campaign against Tehran. Behind-the-scenes diplomacy is unfolding while Israel and several Middle Eastern allies press Trump to determine the next phase of an eight-month war that has shaken global markets and caused widespread destruction in Iran.
Netanyahu pushed Trump for strikes in a weekend call
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is advocating another round of strikes against Iran after Tuesday’s U.S. elections, according to two regional officials and a third person familiar with the discussions.
A renewed war could give Netanyahu a path toward forming an emergency government after he and his far-right allies lost their parliamentary majority in last week’s elections. Trump, meanwhile, has shifted between threatening an expanded military campaign and calling for a negotiated settlement with Iran.
The two officials said diplomatic contacts had advanced, with Qatari mediators conducting two rounds of talks with Iranian officials last week. Their effort centers on a possible arrangement under which Iran would halt attacks in the Strait of Hormuz while the United States lifts its blockade of Iranian ports.
Additional negotiations are expected this week. The officials spoke anonymously because they were discussing classified briefings from U.S. officials and, in one case, Israeli officials.
One of the officials said Netanyahu was coordinating with senior members of the U.S. administration in an effort to convince Trump to authorize a rapid but sweeping air campaign. The president, the official said, has not appeared to reach a final decision.
During a weekend phone call with Trump, Netanyahu argued for new strikes, according to a person briefed on the conversation. Trump did not commit to military action.
Other U.S. partners in the region have urged Trump not to expand the campaign, warning that further strikes could destabilize the Middle East. They fear Iran-aligned Houthi rebels in Yemen could intensify attacks on Saudi Arabia and commercial shipping in the Red Sea, while Iran-backed militias in Iraq could also enter the conflict, a third regional official said.
The Israeli government did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The White House also declined to directly address questions about Netanyahu’s conversation with Trump or the possibility of renewed strikes.
Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman said Monday that he had spoken with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth about “the latest regional and international developments,” including continuing Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia.
Trump downplays scale of Iran conflict on Election Day eve
The conflict has also become a major issue for American voters heading into Tuesday’s midterm elections.
Oil prices fell sharply Monday as renewed diplomatic efforts appeared to make progress toward ending the U.S.-Iran war. Higher gasoline prices linked to the conflict have weighed on Trump’s Republican Party as it seeks to retain control of both chambers of Congress.
Trump highlighted the decline in oil prices during a Washington speech billed as his closing appeal to voters. He also played down the scope of the conflict, which has cost U.S. taxpayers at least $47 billion.
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“I don’t know if you even call it a war, because we haven’t been doing any fighting for months,” Trump said.
Netanyahu has not commented on Iran since the Israeli election, and there was no word from his office on the latest call with Trump.
Iran says it is prepared for war while pursuing diplomacy
Iran wants guarantees that the U.S. will implement its side of any agreement. The U.S. and Israel have twice attacked Iran while it was engaged in negotiations over its disputed nuclear program.
Iranian officials say publicly they are prepared for war or diplomacy.
The new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, met with Iran’s military chiefs and said the response to “any kind and level of threat” from the U.S. or Israel should be immediate and without “geographic limits,” and urged an expansion of the list of potential targets.
A recent analysis by The Associated Press found that Iranian strikes on more than two dozen U.S. bases since the start of the war have caused billions of dollars in equipment damage.
Khamenei has not been seen publicly since the opening strikes by Israel and the U.S. on Feb. 28, which killed his father, the previous supreme leader.
Iran’s security chief, Mohsen Rezaei, told state television that “the tone has completely changed” from the U.S. and called it a “very good sign.” He also gave no details about the letter he received from Vance, which Iran acknowledged last week, and said he had not responded.
Meanwhile, Vance told reporters on Monday that the Republican administration’s foremost concern is Iran agreeing to take substantive action on its nuclear program.
“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,” Vance added.
Arab allies are caught in the middle
October saw the most attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz since March, as Iran has tried to ramp up economic pressure on the U.S. to get it to lift its blockade.
The mood was grim at the Manama Dialogue, an annual security summit in Bahrain organized by the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
United Arab Emirates presidential adviser Anwar Gargash told attendees the U.S. and Iranian stances are far apart, and “if these positions are not bridged, then we have to worry about the worst.”
Gulf nations have spent billions of dollars to boost their defense capabilities since the war began. Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty told the gathering in Bahrain that the next escalation “will be more dangerous, more destructive, and it will lead to nowhere.”
China will send a special envoy to Iran, Oman and Saudi Arabia in early to mid-November, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told reporters Monday.
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Magdy reported from New York and Anna reported from Jerusalem. Victoria Eastwood in Cairo, Kanis Leung in Hong Kong and Katie Marie Davies in London contributed to this report.
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