CNN quoted US President Donald Trump as saying, during a phone call on Sunday, that it was “highly unlikely” that he would order new attacks on Iran as long as talks aimed at ending the conflict were making progress.
On the other hand, Iran indicated a stagnation in mediation efforts, when Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said, on Sunday, that the movement of mediators in an effort to find a settlement between the Islamic Republic and the United States stopped days ago after the release of the American election results, which showed a major victory for the Democrats in Congress.
Araqchi told Iranian state television, "The mediators' action has stopped, and the reason for this is the shock that the results of the American elections left for everyone. It will take some time before the atmosphere becomes suitable for the mediators' action to resume, so we must be patient."
Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz said on Sunday that his country “has not yet accomplished its mission in Iran.”
Katz again accused Tehran of seeking to possess a nuclear weapon, which the Islamic Republic has always denied.
“With regard to Iran, the mission is not yet accomplished,” Katz said.
He added, "Iran is trying to resume its efforts to obtain nuclear weapons, along with other dangerous efforts that expose the State of Israel to real danger."
Israel launched two wars against Iran, the first in June 2025 that lasted 12 days, and the second in partnership with the United States in February 2026, which caused the outbreak of a large-scale conflict in the region?
Over the past few weeks, outgoing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened new strikes against Iran. According to Israeli media reports, these threats, which coincided with the approaching legislative elections on October 27, sparked disagreements between Netanyahu and Army Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, who refused to launch such strikes at this time.
It is unclear whether US President Donald Trump is also ready to launch new strikes on Iran, especially after the US midterm elections in which his Republican Party suffered a major loss.
American officials, led by Trump, confirmed that the war on Iran and its repercussions were a major reason for this electoral defeat.
On Friday, Israeli Channel 12 reported that Netanyahu and the foreign intelligence service (Mossad) attempted to carry out a strike against Iran on the eve of the Knesset elections, but Washington learned of this and stopped the operation.
Iranian media indicated that the explosions that occurred in the south of the country on Saturday evening were linked to Iranian military activities, not American strikes.
Iranian state television reported hearing explosions in several areas in southern Iran, including Qeshm Island in the strait, but said that officials did not confirm that any missile strikes had occurred on Iranian territory.
Iranian television indicated that the explosions that occurred in the evening may be linked to Iranian military activities in this waterway.
Tasnim News Agency reported that two missiles targeted Qeshm Island, but no official information was received about possible damage.
On Sunday, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard announced that fires broke out in three oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, which is at the heart of the confrontation between the United States and Iran.
Iran has imposed severe restrictions on movement through the strategic strait for energy supplies since the start of the war in February.
Tehran says it controls the strait, and regularly targets ships that do not follow the route it has specified along its coast.
The Revolutionary Guard said in a statement on its Sepah News website, “Three illegal oil tankers exploded in the early morning hours and caught fire while they were sailing on the illegal route in the Strait of Hormuz.”
The statement did not specify the name of the carriers or their nationalities.
The Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported on Sunday that “the Coast Guard Group of the National Guard rescued 22 people of Arab nationalities following a fire that broke out in a cargo ship they were on board in the Sea of Oman.”
The US Central Command (Centcom) announced that it will form a “task force” aimed at obstructing Iran’s access to weapons systems and illicit materials through land trade routes and the Caspian Sea, in a move that the Revolutionary Guard promises to thwart.
The American measure aims to expand the scope of trade restrictions that the United States applies to Iran.
For months, Washington has imposed a naval blockade on the Islamic Republic, and has placed this within the framework of a response to Iran’s obstruction of maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, which Tehran has been doing since February 2026 following the outbreak of the American-Israeli war against it.
Central Command announced in a statement on Saturday that its commander, Brad Cooper, had issued directives “to form a task force to support the US government’s efforts aimed at preventing Iran from using land routes to transport advanced weapons and other materials.”
The statement added, "Admiral Brad Cooper directed the formation of the Iron Gate Task Force, a task force that includes approximately 20 civilian and military personnel," to work "in coordination with other US government agencies to prevent the transfer of advanced weapons, dual-use technologies, sanctioned materials, and illicit revenue flows across Iran's land borders and the Caspian Sea."
A spokesman for the Revolutionary Guard, Hussein Mohebi, told the semi-official Fars News Agency on Sunday that the United States cannot achieve its goals of besieging Iran’s economy and closing its trade routes, because Tehran has made preparations and has close contacts with its neighbors.
The task force will be based in Florida.
The pace of hostilities between Iran and the United States has decreased since a ceasefire agreement in April. But the two sides have exchanged blows intermittently at various stages since then.
