International Crisis Group analyst Ali Vaez stated that Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei granted the Iranian government a narrow negotiating mandate subject to strict red lines

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U.S. Vice President JD Vance stated on November 2, 2026, that the United States had held constructive conversations with Iranian officials regarding a negotiated settlement to end the war with Iran

U.S. Vice President JD Vance and White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff are advocating for a negotiated settlement with Iran, supported by most Gulf countries

Qatari mediators conducted diplomatic talks with Iranian officials in Tehran and Doha over the weekend of October 31 to November 1, 2026

Senior officials from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan traveled to Tehran in late October 2026 to mediate between the United States and Iran

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated on November 2, 2026, that Qatar and Pakistan are mediating diplomatic exchanges, and that Iran is prepared to resume negotiations if the U.S. accepts Tehran's conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stated on November 2, 2026, that Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei granted the Iranian government certain authorities to pursue peace talks aimed at ending the war with the US and Israel

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that Iran submitted its terms and plan and warned that U.S. military operations would trigger a severe Iranian response

Axios reported that U.S. President Donald Trump informed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Trump remains open to allowing additional time for diplomatic resolution of the war with Iran and Israel

Qatari mediators drafted a proposed agreement outlining a three-day sequence of confidence-building measures to resume direct U.S.-Iran negotiations and conducted three consecutive days of talks in Doha through November 1, 2026

U.S. President Donald Trump stated on November 2, 2026, that progress was being made toward a potential diplomatic settlement with Iran

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stated on November 2, 2026, that Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei granted the Iranian government authority to pursue a diplomatic agreement with the United States

Iranian officials demanded the lifting of the U.S. naval blockade on Iranian ports, sanction relief, and release of frozen assets before reopening the Strait of Hormuz

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning announced that China will send a special diplomatic envoy to Iran, Oman, and Saudi Arabia in November 2026

United States Vice President JD Vance stated on November 2, 2026, that the United States and Iran have made progress toward a potential negotiated settlement

Rwandan government spokesperson Yolande Makolo stated that commitments by the Democratic Republic of Congo to neutralize a key militia under a US-brokered peace deal remained unmet

The 2026 Houthi offensive shattered a 2022 UN-brokered truce that had previously halted major offensive operations in Yemen

Iran had previously proposed a seven-day timeline, conveyed through Qatari mediators in September 2026, to reopen the Strait of Hormuz following an agreement with Washington

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that Washington must reduce U.S. troop numbers in the region and remove sanctions imposed since August 2026 as part of any agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz

Iran's conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz include ending the Middle East war on all fronts that began in February 2026, unfreezing Iranian assets abroad, lifting sanctions on its oil sector, and ending the U.S. naval blockade

Under Iran's proposed two-day plan announced on November 2, 2026, ships traversing the reopened Strait of Hormuz would be required to follow a transit route agreed upon by Iran and Oman under Iranian supervision