Masoud Pezeshkian

U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters on 31 Oct that negotiations with Iran are progressing and that Washington is not in a hurry to resume offensive action, citing that most of Iran's military and nuclear capabilities have already been degraded. In contrast, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been urging Trump to launch a new wave of strikes on Iran immediately after the U.S. midterm elections, seeking to use a renewed conflict to bolster his political position. Qatari mediators continue to work on a framework to de‑escalate tensions in the Strait of Hormuz.

President Vladimir Putin holds talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on Tuesday in Moscow, following a Gas Exporting Countries Forum hosted by the Kremlin. The meeting follows Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s remarks that it will build on Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s recent Tehran visit and aims to deepen political and economic ties. The forum also gathers African leaders and other gas‑producing nations, underscoring the strategic partnership between Russia and Iran.

Qatari mediators have handed Iran a new draft to end the war with the United States and Israel, a plan with a seven-day timeline of daily confidence-building steps and several guarantor countries that could begin early next week. Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran is in close contact with intermediaries and could implement the plan in under a week, while a senior Iranian official called Doha's ideas unacceptable and not an offer. Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman travelled to Tehran for talks with Iran's security chief Mohsin Razaee, accompanied by military and intelligence chiefs from Pakistan and Turkey. The conflict has been ongoing since February 2026. US President Donald Trump said on 28 Oct he was in a very good position with Iran.