President Donald Trump said on social media that he has pulled Vice President JD Vance from peace talks with Iran to concentrate on domestic fraud investigations.
“We don’t need a deal with Iran,” Trump wrote, adding that “Those days have long since passed.” The decision follows the U.S. midterm elections, after which Trump stated he was not seeking further escalation with Tehran, according to Anadolu Ajansı. Following the midterm elections, Republican losses increased domestic pressure on Washington to end the conflict, while Qatar-mediated efforts intensified despite unresolved substantial differences.
“We would have had a deal except for this election,” Trump said, suggesting the Democratic victory had complicated negotiations.
Despite the rhetoric, Reuters reported that Trump is weighing a pause in military actions if Iran and the Houthi movement avoid fresh provocations, with three people familiar with the discussions noting the president has alternated between threatening further military action and suggesting that major fighting may not resume.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged restraint during phone calls over the previous two weeks. At the same time, a third American aircraft carrier headed toward the Middle East to potentially replace one of the two carriers already operating in the region or remain alongside them if required, while possible strikes on Iranian underground nuclear facilities are also among the options being considered.
Trump is expected to discuss the conflict during planned trilateral talks in China next week with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to reporting, while Washington also intensified economic pressure and its enforcement of the blockade by announcing that Task Force Iron Gate will restrict Iranian supply routes across land borders and the Caspian Sea.
The Artesh Navy stated another oil tanker struck a mine and caught fire east of the Strait of Hormuz on November 14, continuing a pattern of regular updates issued by Iran to portray the southern route as persistently unsafe even when Iranian forces do not conduct visible attacks.
November has seen a minimum of eight maritime strikes against commercial ships thus far, following a peak monthly incident count in October; this recent escalation was designed partly to sustain high petroleum costs prior to the US midterms and to thwart US endeavors aimed at re-establishing maritime traffic within the Gulf.
A drone strike on November 8 shut down the Khor Mor gas field and disrupted electricity generation in the Kurdistan Region, with reports suggesting the drone was launched from the Tuz Khurmatu area where Iran-aligned militias operate.
The unified forces include the Southern Giants Brigades, Homeland Shield Forces, and Support and Reinforcement Brigades.
On November 13 and 14, the Houthi faction stated it fired several waves of ballistic missiles at Yemeni government-allied troops gathered at two mobilization points in Jabal Kharaz and Khor Amira, situated within the Madaribah wa al Arah District of southern Lahij Governorate, subsequent to an earlier Houthi strike on Kharaz mobilization sites on November 12.
Earlier coverage: Iran Abandons Self-Imposed 2,000-Kilometer Missile Range Limit
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