Qatari mediators spent more than 12 hours in Tehran on Friday in constant contact with the White House to push for a nuclear inspection deal and avert US strikes on Iran that could begin as soon as Nov 4, according to Axios and MS NOW. The mediators proposed allowing UN inspectors into Iran’s bombed nuclear sites in exchange for partial US sanctions relief, with talks moving to Doha on Saturday. Meanwhile, a US official told Axios that President Donald Trump might be more inclined to order a major military operation if Republicans suffer a heavy loss in the Nov 3 midterm elections, as his administration remains split between Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio favoring further strikes and Vice President JD Vance, envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent backing negotiations or economic pressure.
The diplomatic push comes after the Trump administration briefed Gulf Arab allies to prepare for a short, intense round of strikes starting the day after the midterms as a third US aircraft carrier strike group heads to the Middle East. While the Wall Street Journal reported that US Central Command chief Admiral Brad Cooper gave Trump a rare in-person briefing on military options Thursday alongside Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman General Dan Caine, US officials told Axios the session of more than 20 attendees focused largely on the naval blockade and economic pressure. On Capitol Hill, Democratic Senator Chris Murphy said after a classified briefing on the post-election war plan that “the plan is insane” and warned that targeting civilian infrastructure would trigger a devastating escalation.