U.S. President Donald Trump is considering unleashing fresh large-scale attacks on Iran following meetings with national security advisers.
The news comes after Trump’s second-in-command, JD Vance, complained that the conflict was behind the GOP’s poor midterm election results this week.
F-22 Raptor at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. Image Credit: National Security Journal.
F-22 Raptor at Lakeland Air Show in Lakeland, Florida. Image Credit: National Security Journal.
The renewed war initially began after the U.S. and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran’s nuclear and leadership sites this February.
Tehran Sends Proposal via Qatar
One Iranian official told Reuters that Tehran had sent a nuclear proposal to the U.S. via Qatar.
“And now we’ll make a decision. Do we want to go further and just certify it?” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on November 5.
“I would rather not destroy the rest of the country if possible, but maybe I will have to. You’ll know soon enough,” he said.
“They’re not doing anything without our approval,” Trump said regarding suggestions of a deal on Iran’s nuclear program.
“They’re not going to have a nuclear weapon,” he said, according to The Times of Israel.
Small-scale attacks have also already taken place, and the White House has not officially announced any strikes.
U.S. forces attacked Qeshm Island on November 2, three officials told CNN. One stated it was an attack in retaliation for Iran firing on a U.S. aircraft.
“This was a defensive measure for Iranians using surface-to-air missiles against US assets,” another official said.
“U.S. Air Force F-35A stealth fighter jets receive fuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker while patrolling the skies over the Middle East,” CENTCOM said.
Strike Group En Route
The USS Theodore Roosevelt strike group will not arrive until mid-November at the earliest, a U.S. official told Axios.
Washington is now mulling over Tehran’s nuclear proposals, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Thursday.
He did not publicly offer any specific details about what the proposals included.
Iran wants sanctions lifted, frozen assets released, and reparations for war damage. However, Washington insists that preliminary talks must include nuclear issues.
“As long as they do not execute our seven conditions, we will neither open the Strait of Hormuz nor have negotiations,” Iranian security chief Mohsen Rezaei said during a visit to Russia.
Ali Bagheri Kani, deputy head of Iran’s top security body, told Iranian state television on Friday that Iran was not satisfied with “paper commitments” and needed practical U.S. steps before new diplomatic efforts.
Iraqi PM Speaks to Trump
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi mentioned sovereignty during a phone call with Trump on Thursday.
His office said he called for “Iraqi territory not to be used as a launching point for attacks against neighboring countries.”
F-22 Raptor Flying in the Dark Clouds. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Meanwhile, Qatar has also been mediating alongside Pakistan. Its Foreign Ministry said a delegation returned from Tehran on Monday after around three hours of talks.
“If there were no hope, there would be no negotiations,” Majed Al Ansari, Qatari spokesman, said on Tuesday.
“We remain hopeful that there is still a chance for a deal to take place.”
Vance Says War Lost GOP Votes
“The reason we lost is the war,” Vice President JD Vance wrote on Wednesday.
“And any honest conversation about where we go from here must start there.”
However, ABC polling found that American voters were not solely focused on the war. Only 34% said the Iran war was vital to their vote compared with 49% for cost of living.
Jonathan Tobin, editor-in-chief of the Jewish News Syndicate, wrote on Thursday: “Trump’s polling first began to head south not when he ordered a joint attack on Iran with Israeli forces in February 2026, but in March 2025 when he began instituting punitive tariffs.”
Vance previously claimed to have “realist” perspectives on foreign policy.
Brent crude ended trading up 3.88% at $98.29 per barrel on Thursday. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures ended up 2.72% at $90.52.
Trump, however, defended the continuation of the war.
“The Iran thing, we had to do, and we continue to do it,” he said, according to The Associated Press.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also defended the campaign on Thursday, stating: “a courageous and historic effort that will ensure Iran never gets nuclear weapons.”
“The US election results make a settlement more urgent for Trump, but no easier for Iran,” Ebtesam al-Ketbi, president of the Emirates Policy Center in Abu Dhabi, told Reuters on Wednesday.
About the Author: Georgia Gilholy
Georgia Gilholy is a journalist based in the United Kingdom who has been published in Newsweek, The Times of Israel, and the Spectator. Gilholy writes about international politics, culture, and education.
