Middle East conflict: Trump threatens Iran with military action as Tehran warns new war could last longer

Saudi Arabia’s Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz held a phone call with Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi to discuss strengthening military and defence cooperation between the two countries.

The ministers also stressed the importance of supporting efforts to promote regional security and stability, while condemning Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported an incident involving a tanker 72 nautical miles east of Ras Al Khafji, Saudi Arabia, on November 1.

The vessel, travelling south-east through the Arabian Gulf, was struck by two unidentified projectiles on its port side. All crew members were accounted for, with no environmental impact reported.

UKMTO advised vessels to transit the area with caution and report any suspicious activity as authorities investigate the incident.

US President Donald Trump said Sunday that he had a “good talk” with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and that the two leaders discussed Iran.

Axios cited sources as saying Netanyahu is pressing Trump to strike Iran immediately after Tuesday’s midterm elections, but Trump, for now, wants to let negotiations play out — a strategy Netanyahu is concerned about.

On Sunday, Iran’s army spokesman warned that any new war could extend beyond the Middle East and last much longer than the previous conflict.

Iranian negotiators were in Doha on Nov. 1 for a third consecutive day of talks with Qatari mediators aimed at reaching a deal to end the war with the US and Israel, Reuters reported, citing an official briefed on the talks.

The discussions follow an initial Iranian proposal, conveyed o Qatari intermediaries, for a "seven-day plan" under which the US and Iran would take daily confidence-building steps before broader peace talks.

Following back-and-forth communications, the seven days had been whittled down to a "two-day plan", according to a new report citing Iran FM Abbas Araghchi.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Trump has not decided whether to launch new strikes but prefers a diplomatic resolution. The split highlights a key decision point: continued diplomacy or renewed military action.

President Donald Trump has been asking allies about the performances of War Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine, The Atlantic reported Sunday, citing two outside advisers close to him.

The questioning comes as Trump focuses on advisers who assured him the war would be "quick and decisive". He often seeks friends’ opinions before making personnel changes.

Some people close to Trump accused Hegseth of giving him an "overly optimistic" picture. The Pentagon rejected that claim, saying Hegseth provides the “full operational picture.”

Hegseth and Caine presented military options to Trump and Vice President JD Vance at the White House last week, the report added.

The White House said Trump had “full confidence” in both men. No order to resume strikes had been given, the report said.

The Atlantic noted that Trump has been contemplating a renewal of hostilities aimed at forcing Iran to negotiate. Advisers told the magazine that a new round of attacks could "come soon" after Tuesday’s midterms.

Hegseth and Caine have been two of Trump’s key counselors on the war. In its earliest stages, they were among the most publicly optimistic about its prospects, though they have not held a press conference since May.

US President Donald Trump has predicted that the war with Iran will end “very soon”, defending higher oil prices as a "small" sacrifice for American and global security.

Speaking at a midterm election rally in Iowa on Sunday, November 1, Trump claimed the US military campaign had prevented Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

He forecast a sharp decline in fuel prices once hostilities end, saying oil would come “plunging” afterwards.

Trump said energy prices had risen less than he initially expected, describing the increase as “a very small price to pay” for security.

However, he provided no timetable or details of a possible settlement, leaving uncertainty over when the conflict might end.

The remarks come ahead of the November 3 US midterm elections, with the Iran war driving up energy costs and adding pressure on American households.

Oil prices have exceeded $100 per barrel amid disruptions to Gulf shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.

US crude benchmark WTI Crude dropped by $2.39 to $101.7, down 2.30%; Brent Crude was down 2% at $111.2 (down $2.27); Murban Crude rose 1.85% to $114.8 per barrel, as of 10.11 am Beijing time on Monday (Nov. 2, 2026).

Two oil tankers "exploded after striking mines” while transitting Hormuz through what the Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy declared as an "unauthorised route", Iranian state media reported late on Sunday.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Qatar-mediated talks have produced a "two-day plan" under which the US would implement a set of measures on the first day, allowing Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and restore normal navigation on the second.

"I can say that we have now reached a two-day plan. This means that on the first day, the U.S. implements a set of measures, and on the second day, the Strait of Hormuz reopens and transit returns to its previous state," Clash Report quoted Araghchi as saying..

The proposal is a shortened version of an earlier seven-day plan, reduced to 48 hours after consultations with Qatari mediators. Araghchi said talks were continuing and “moving toward implementation.”

Araghchi's statement, corroborated by Al Jazeera and The Washington Times, is a proposal, not an agreed deal.

The report clarified that consultations continue and no definitive conclusion has been reached. The two-day sequence is conditional on U.S. action; the US has not publicly accepted it.

Day 246: UAE hopes for peace, ‘braced for worst’

Day 245: Rubio says US yet to decide on new Iran strikes

Day 244: US denies Iran destroyed sea drone in Strait of Hormuz

Day 243: US fires senior army general in latest ouster: reports

Day 242: Iran discusses plan to end war and reopen Hormuz

Day 241: Iran says supreme leader met with security chief

Day 240: 'Entering new path could be considered': Iran tells US