Iran and the United States are still far from a deal to end their war, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Tuesday 3 November 2026. Qatar is mediating, with Qatari mediators travelling to Tehran on Monday night, BusinessWorld reports.

Strikes and talks

Overnight, the US carried out "defensive" strikes on Iran's Qeshm Island, targeting surface-to-air missiles used against US assets, a US official said. President Donald Trump told Fox News: "I'm not looking to… kill lots of people. If we have to, we'll have to." He told the Financial Times: "I'm ready, we're ready. We're locked and loaded if we need to go, but there may be no reason for it," and said indirect negotiations on enriched uranium stockpiles were ongoing.

Tehran's conditions

Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said Washington's response to Tehran's seven conditions "was not convincing" and that Washington must fully and explicitly address them and act upon them. Qatar's foreign ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said both sides were reviewing mediators' proposals. The reported conditions include ending conflicts including Gaza and Israel-Hezbollah, comprehensive lifting of sanctions, release of frozen assets, compensation, guarantees against future attacks, and recognition of Iran's sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.

Sources: BusinessWorld, Iran-US still far apart on deal, Trump says ready but in no hurry for strikes, 4 November 2026; Stockbiz / Vietnam News Agency, Middle East conflict: US and Iran have yet to narrow differences, 4 November 2026.