US President Donald Trump said on November 12, 2026, that the United States did not need an agreement with Iran and that he had asked Vice President JD Vance to focus entirely on corruption and crime in Democratic-led cities and states. The account, published on November 13, 2026, cited Xinhua’s reporting on Trump’s social media post.
Trump wrote that the days of seeking a deal with Iran were over. He also claimed that the US held hundreds of billions of dollars of Iranian funds and controlled the Strait of Hormuz.
Multiple media outlets had reported that Vance was directly involved in indirect talks with Iran over the preceding two weeks, seeking a new ceasefire and a resumption of nuclear negotiations. A November 11 report said he was considering an in-person meeting with Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. Iranian media, however, reported that Rezaei denied any such meeting was planned, calling the suggestion baseless. On November 12, Rezaei warned that European military bases involved in any renewed US attack on Iran would become targets.
Trump’s post raised questions about Washington’s plans for ending the war. On November 9, after meeting Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani at the White House, Trump had said military operations against Iran were “practically over.” The report said the US and Iran had recently avoided large-scale fighting, but smaller clashes, a maritime blockade and the struggle over the Strait of Hormuz continued at that time. It also said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Dan Caine had presented Trump with military options developed by US Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper.
Separately, Xinhua cited Iranian state broadcaster IRIB as reporting that Iran’s Assembly of Experts issued a November 12 statement calling for officials to consider withdrawing from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and reassessing the country’s defense strategy. The statement argued that repeated threats, particularly against Iran’s nuclear capabilities, left it unable to rely on the international bodies responsible for addressing them.
The report attributed differing assessments of the standoff to analysts. Alex Vatanka, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, said maintaining the status quo would keep global energy prices high and could leave Gulf states and others to reach their own arrangements with Iran. Dania Thafer, executive director of the Gulf International Forum, said Iranians believed they had gained leverage after Republicans’ midterm election losses, while Trump appeared to favor economic pressure through the blockade over a full-scale strike.
