Reported by:
Cherry Meigh Timbol
News Content Editor
Published November 3, 2026
TEHRAN – Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Monday that Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei had authorized the government to negotiate with the United States toward a peaceful settlement. Pezeshkian did not specify what the authorization entailed.
The statement is a notable one because the supreme leader has stayed out of public view. Khamenei succeeded his father, Ali Khamenei, who was killed in February in US and Israeli strikes, and he has not appeared in public since. The overture was relayed by the president, not delivered by Khamenei himself.
Indirect talks under way
Iran says it is engaged in intensive indirect negotiations with the US, mediated by Qatar and Pakistan. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described the contacts as “very intensive,” and Tehran said it is prepared for both diplomacy and military confrontation.
Reports on progress differ. The Wall Street Journal reported that talks through the Qatar-mediated channel have stalled over which side should make concessions first. An official briefed on the talks said Iranian negotiators left Qatar on Sunday for reasons unrelated to difficulties in the negotiations, and that a draft proposal was circulating. Another meeting has not been ruled out.
Iran’s proposal
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said the talks rest on a seven-point plan Tehran prepared in September, which calls for resuming shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and ending the US naval blockade of Iranian ports. Baghaei said the plan remains the same but could be implemented in two days instead of seven. He also said talks on Iran’s nuclear program could resume only after Tehran confirms its conditions have been met.
US and regional reaction
President Donald Trump has said the latest negotiations were going fine, but has suggested several times that the US could strike Iran after the Nov. 3 midterm elections. Axios and Israel’s N12 reported on Nov. 1 that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged Trump by phone to resume military operations against Iran right after the midterms.
Arab states have warned Tehran of possible joint retaliation if it targets their infrastructure, while Russia and China have urged diplomacy. Oil prices fell more than six percent on Monday on optimism over the conflict. (ynetnews)
