WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has said negotiations with Iran to end the war were “going fine”, adding that the United States was in no hurry to resume offensive operations as it had already decimated Iran’s military capabilities and nuclear programme.
Speaking to reporters at his Florida residence on Saturday, the US President said Washington could deal with the remaining targets quickly. He said that the US has knocked out much of Iran’s military but still has to “take care of” one or two targets.
Trump on Iran:
They want to make a deal. We’ll find out about that.
Negotiations are going fine, but they’re not very reliable, I will tell you.
They make a deal and then they back out. They want to make a deal. We’ll see if they make a deal. https://t.co/1dqYGSddOB
— Clash Report (@clashreport) November 1, 2026
Trump maintained that negotiations with Iran to end the war, which was started by the US and Israel in February, were “going fine but you know they’re not very reliable.”
The US President said the United States is not in a hurry to take offensive action because it had already decimated Iran’s military and nuclear programme.
“We’ve knocked out their nuclear. We still have to take care of, I would say, one or two sites, but we can do that in 10 minutes,” Trump told reporters.
“You probably could look at Pickaxe Mountain, and you have to take care of that. We can do that all very quickly,” he added, referring to a suspected underground nuclear complex. The Iranian government denied that any nuclear work is carried out there.
Trump on Iran:
We still have to take care of, I would say, one or two sites, but we can do that in 10 minutes.
Ten minutes. So we have that plan. https://t.co/7qd7QgxyBE
— Clash Report (@clashreport) November 1, 2026
Rubio Says US Open to Diplomatic Solution with Iran
Earlier Saturday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Trump has not made a decision about fresh strikes on Iran and that the United States would be open to a diplomatic solution.
Iran’s supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei on Saturday warned the United States and Israel against launching a new offensive, following threats that they could resume strikes after crucial elections in both countries.
Trump had previously warned an attack could come after the US midterms this week, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke of a “historic, one-time opportunity” to topple the Iranian government.
The elections in both countries could determine the direction of the conflict, with Israel having voted in a general election on Tuesday but yet to form a new government.
Mediators Continue Diplomatic Efforts
Qatari mediators were in Tehran on Friday for discussions with Iranian officials before moving the talks to Doha on Saturday, Reuters reported, citing an official as saying. The talks were being coordinated in regular contacts with Washington, the official added.
Iranian negotiators were in Doha on Sunday for a third consecutive day of talks with mediators aimed at pushing for a deal to end the US-Iran war, an official briefed on the discussions told Reuters.
Iranian negotiators are in Doha for a third consecutive day of talks with Qatari mediators aimed at pushing for a deal to end the war, an official briefed on the talks tells Reuters.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Al Jazeera that mediators have presented proposals relating to Iran’s nuclear programme which are currently under discussion.
“Mediators have presented proposals concerning the nuclear dossier, which we are currently reviewing as part of the second phase,” he said, adding that an Iranian delegation has headed to Qatar to continue talks.
“My aide is currently in Qatar to continue consultations. Qatari and Pakistani mediators are continuing consultations regarding our conditions,” Araghchi said.
The Iranian delegation, including a deputy to Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, is in Qatar for talks between Tehran and Washington, Anadolu reported, citing a Qatari newspaper.
Pakistan and Qatar have been mediating between the warring parties.
Oil Price Spike
Rubio, on Saturday, warned that “we can achieve military objectives if we seek to”, adding that Trump had not made a decision on any fresh strikes.
Since the recent outbreak of the war, Tehran has restricted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which normally carries around one-fifth of global oil consumption.
Iran has previously warned it would also consider severing undersea cables in the Strait of Hormuz.
A ship traversing the strait struck a mine and caught fire, Iranian state television reported Saturday.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said Friday three oil tankers had been halted after encountering unspecified “incidents” or hitting mines.
The blockade has caused a spike in global energy prices, making the war unpopular among the US public ahead of the upcoming polls.
