JD Vance highlights 'good conversations' with Iran amid reports about US preparing strikes after midterms

US Vice President JD Vance offered measured optimism on Monday that a deal can still be struck to prevent President Trump from following through on his threat to potentially order new strikes on Iran elections in the United States.

US Vice President JD Vance disembarks from Air Force Two at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on November 2, 2026. (AFP)Vance sent a letter to Iran’s security chief, Mohsen Rezaei, last week, but the White House has offered scant details about the contents of that correspondence.

Trump told reporters that letter was focused on assisting Iran with “medical supplies and various things.” But Vance on Monday suggested there's reason to believe that the U.S. and Iran could still come to an agreement. “We’ve had a number of good conversations with the Iranians,” Vance told reporters on Monday when asked about the letter.

“I actually just spoke with the president of the United States about an hour ago about this. Look, the president and I both feel pretty good about the prospects for potentially coming to a negotiated settlement. We’re going to keep on working at it.” Vance's comments came as the region remains on edge about the prospects of the U.S.

resuming full-scale operations against Iran. The backchannel efforts are playing out as Israel and some Middle East allies lobby Trump on the way ahead in the 8-month-old war that's rattled global markets and wreaked havoc on Iran.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pushing for another wave of strikes on Iran after Tuesday's elections in the United States, according to two regional officials and a third person familiar with the matter. A return to full-scale war with Iran could help Netanyahu to form an emergency government after he and his far-right allies lost their parliamentary majority in last week's elections.

Trump has alternated between threatening major strikes and pushing for a deal with Iran. The two officials said diplomatic efforts have made progress, with Qatari mediators holding two rounds of talks last week with Iranian officials.

The two officials said the mediators are trying to advance a framework for Iran to cease its attacks in the Strait of Hormuz in return for the U.S. lifting its blockade on Iran's ports. They said more talks are planned for this week.

The two officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were discussing classified briefings they had received from American, and in one case Israeli, officials. One official said Netanyahu was working with senior officials in the U.S.

administration to persuade Trump to launch a quick but extensive air campaign and that the president does not appear to have made a decision. Netanyahu pressed for strikes during a call over the weekend with Trump, who would not commit to taking military action, according to a person who was briefed on it.

Other U.S. allies in the Middle East are warning against more strikes, saying that would destabilize the region and could lead Iran-allied Houthi rebels in Yemen to step up their attacks on Saudi Arabia and Red Sea shipping, a third regional official said.

Iran-backed militias in Iraq could also get involved. The Israeli government did not immediately comment. The White House did not directly respond to questions about Netanyahu and Trump’s discussion of potential new strikes during the weekend call.

Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman said he spoke by phone on Monday with U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth about “the latest regional and international developments" and the Houthis' continued attacks on Saudi Arabia.

Netanyahu had pushed for renewed strikes even before the Israeli election as he sought to highlight his security credentials to a public deeply scarred by Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack. But the war has also loomed large for American voters ahead of Tuesday's midterm elections.

Oil prices dropped sharply on Monday as renewed diplomatic efforts to end the war between the U.S. and Iran appeared to show signs of headway. Rising prices at the pump, a byproduct of the war, have been a weight on Trump’s Republican Party as it tries to maintain control of both chambers of Congress.

Trump noted the drop in a speech in Washington on Monday, which was billed as his closing argument to Americans, and sought to minimize the scale of the conflict, which has cost U.S. taxpayers at least $47 billion.