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US weighs new Iran strikes as Vance reaches out: Is war or a deal closer?
Confirmed
In Short: Professor Andreas Krieg of King’s College London told Al Jazeera that Vance’s offer of direct talks “suggests that the Americans do have second thoughts” and that they are less ready to strike than they publicly suggest.
Vice President JD Vance has written to Iran's security chief Mohsen Rezaei to revive stalled peace talks, as President Donald Trump considers renewed military action against Iran, according to multiple reports.
The letter, sent as the eight-month conflict between the two nations continues, aims to negotiate an end to the ongoing tensions. However, the White House announced that Vance would not be traveling to the talks, citing logistical challenges.
Meanwhile, Democratic Senator Chris Murphy, who was briefed on the plans, called the potential military action “insane” and warned of a devastating escalation.
Professor Paul Musgrave of Georgetown University in Qatar told Al Jazeera that the White House could be sending signals to coerce Tehran, but that “the better interpretation is the simplest one.” He added, “This idea that there is a short and crisp military operation to solve this issue is obviously an illusion.”
Vance told Fox News on Thursday that Trump would “never” let the conflict become “a forever war.” However, he also stressed that the US was investigating a deadly strike on an Iranian wedding earlier in the week, which Reuters analysis found likely involved a direct hit by a US munition.
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s parliament speaker, said progress depends on Iran’s seven conditions being met, including the lifting of sanctions, ending the US naval blockade of Iranian ports, and guarantees to an end to US-Israeli strikes.
Professor Nader Hashemi of Georgetown University told Al Jazeera that “Rezaei is just one voice among many” and that “the reality is that decisions are made collectively inside the Islamic republic.”
What's confirmed
- Over the past week, Washington and Tehran have sent mixed signals about whether their eight-month war is heading back to full-scale strikes or towards a peace deal.
- Democratic Senator Chris Murphy, who said he had been briefed on the plans, called them “insane” and warned of a devastating escalation.
- Furthermore, Nader Hashemi, a professor of Middle East politics at Georgetown University, told Al Jazeera that “Rezaei is just one voice among many” adding that the “reality is that decisions are made collectively inside the Islamic republic”.
- He believes “the United States is getting ready to carry out substantial attacks relatively soon”.
- “Thus, while the optics with Vance look better than anyone else in the Trump administration, I doubt that they [Iranian officials] give the outreach much credence until Vance proves able to actually deliver something on his own,” he said.
- “He certainly knows that peak oil is approaching and that time is running out for Iran’s economic recovery through the use of its oil revenues,” he said.
- Paul Musgrave, an associate professor of government at Georgetown University in Qatar, told Al Jazeera the White House could be sending signals to coerce Tehran, but that “the better interpretation is the simplest one”.
- “This idea that there is a short and crisp military operation to solve this issue is obviously an illusion,” he said.
- Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said progress depends on Iran’s seven conditions being met – including the lifting of sanctions, ending the US naval blockade of Iranian ports, guarantees to an end to US-Israeli strikes, and the unfreezing of Iranian assets – adding that the “carrot-and-stick approach has no effect on Iran”, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency.
- But he warned that Cooper, whom he called “quite hawkish”, could give Trump false confidence “that there is a military way out of it, when in reality there isn’t a military way out of it”.
- Vance, meanwhile, told Fox News on Thursday that Trump would “never” let the conflict become “a forever war”.
- Andreas Krieg, an associate professor of security studies at King’s College London, told Al Jazeera that Vance’s offer of direct talks “suggests that the Americans do have second thoughts” and that they are less ready to strike than they publicly suggest.
What's still developing
- Published 28 Oct 2026, 23:25 UTC Updated 29 Oct 2026, 12:03 UTC Latest on this story 30 Oct: Trump Says JD Vance Letter To Tehran Seeks Medical Supplies, Iran Weighs 7-Day Plan Photo : Emily J.
- Report us The United States is making a potentially final diplomatic push to reach an agreement with Iran, with Vice President JD Vance offering to meet personally with one of Tehran's most powerful hard-line figures as President Donald Trump weighs renewed military action against the Islamic Republic.
- According to Newsmax, Vance told journalist Mark Halperin that he would not get involved in Israel’s election, explaining that his focus is on the Nov. 3 U.S. midterm elections.
- Vance: If there were failures… This is the first time I’ve heard of this. — Chris⚖️Justice ( @chrisjustice01.bsky.social ) October 18, 2026 at 1:53 PM “Though the Iranian drone was the weapon that killed my wife, there were a lot of mistakes and a lot of fundamental failures that led up to that,” Amor told Vance.
- Vance says US not talking to Iran unless they stop shooting at ships US Vice President JD Vance on Thursday said the United States was investigating an airstrike that Iran said struck a wedding party in Iran.
- When asked about whether a US strike was responsible, he said “sometimes things happen”.
- WASHINGTON: US Vice President JD Vance on Thursday ruled out calling the conflict with Iran a war, despite renewed attacks and a growing military presence in the Middle East, stressing the challenge the Trump administration faces as the hostilities enter their seventh month and midterm elections loom.
- Back during the 2024 campaign I wrote about the 4.0 operating system upgrade that had been loaded onto the JD Vance platform.
- In the hour-long event, Vance argued that the Iran war has kept oil prices high, despite the U.S. and Iran refraining from active fighting.
- Vance sent a letter to Mohsen Rezaei, the secretary of Iran’s top security body, the Supreme National Security Council, and previously Iran’s longest-serving commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, according to the people.
- The hyperactive Hegseth, in contrast, has been purging the Pentagon and creating a new model army in his “warrior” image.