Iran reports strikes on Qeshm as Qatar says talks continue
Iranian media reported new attacks on several locations in Hormozgan province, including Qeshm Island, Sirik and Jask…
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November 2026Daily briefing
Democrats take Congress as Trump threatens Iran
Democrats won both chambers of Congress in a midterm vote dominated by the war and vowed to end it, while Trump threatened to “destroy the rest of the country” of Iran. US strikes off Qeshm wounded four fishermen, Drop Site reported.
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Iran signals wider talks as Trump threatens new strikes
Iran is widening diplomacy while President Donald Trump threatens renewed large-scale strikes.
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Qatar denies reports US-Iran talks failed, says talks continue
Qatar's International Media Office denied on Friday reports that Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said US-Iran negotiations had failed, calling the claims "false and misleading." It said his remarks were deliberately distorted by those who benefit from continued war and instability, and that both sides were still working toward a deal. Iranian officials separately said any talks with Washington depend on seven preconditions and on US "rationality," according to Iranian media.
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Iran health ministry denies iodine tablet report near nuclear sites
Iran's health ministry denied a report by The Times of London that it was distributing iodine tablets near nuclear sites to prepare for possible US strikes. The Times had cited an unnamed ministry official as saying the tablets were being handed out within two to three kilometers of nuclear facilities. Hossein Kermanpour, head of the ministry's public relations and information center, said no ministry official had spoken to The Times and that the attributed quote was false, according to Middle East Eye.
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US sanctions Canadian money firms as Trump says Iran talks go well
The US Treasury imposed sanctions on eight money services firms based in Canada, accusing them of facilitating transactions with sanctioned Iranian entities, and blocked US financial institutions from processing transfers involving the Seychelles-registered crypto exchange MEXC Global over at least $16 billion in transactions it linked to Iran, North Korea and Russia. A day earlier, Treasury sanctioned companies and individuals in India and Turkey accused of helping Iran evade oil export and airline restrictions. President Donald Trump said Friday his administration was in talks with Iranian representatives and was "doing very well with Iran," a claim that was not independently verified.
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Bahrain arrests 50 Shiite clerics, strips 69 of citizenship
Bahraini authorities have arrested more than 50 Shiite clerics and religious orators and stripped citizenship from 69 citizens of Iranian heritage after Iranian strikes hit the kingdom during the war, Reuters reported. They accuse the clerics of fostering allegiance to Tehran and seeking to overthrow the ruling order with help from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, charges relatives and lawyers deny. Twenty rights groups, including Human Rights Watch, allege torture and coerced confessions, and a verdict is expected on November 8.
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Iran's electricity crisis drives belated solar investment
Iran's solar capacity has grown from about 0.7 GW to 5.3 GW in two years, according to SATBA, as power shortages force industry and government to seek alternatives. President Masoud Pezeshkian has cited contracts for about 80 GW of solar, though officials use the figure loosely and much of the pipeline lacks finance, equipment and grid connections.
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Centcom podcast ridiculed as US-Israeli war on Iran drags on
US Central Command launched an official podcast hosted by Admiral Brad Cooper, drawing ridicule for joking about French fries while not addressing the US strike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh primary school in Minab, which Amnesty International says killed 156 people, including 120 children. As the US-Israeli war on Iran entered its ninth month, Iran expert Trita Parsi said he favored Centcom abandoning "needless wars" in the Middle East and focusing on podcasting.
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Fake Iranian accounts boosted Netanyahu before Israeli vote
A network of 1,653 X accounts posing as Iranian users amplified Benjamin Netanyahu's election campaign in Israel, Haaretz reported, citing research by the monitoring firm Expose. The accounts posted in Hebrew urging Israelis to vote for Netanyahu "on behalf of the Iranian people," then returned to promoting Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran's last shah.
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Iran lawmaker warns missile response could reach Europe
Iranian lawmaker Hosseinali Haji Deligani told the Tasnim news agency that any new US or Israeli attack would meet a “massive, multiplied and strategic” response without geographic limits. He said the responding missiles’ range would reach Europe and push oil prices above $150 a barrel, and described what he called a US naval blockade of Iran as “a form of war,” saying Iranian forces would strike at the appropriate moment.
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Turkey says US sanctions pressure halted Turkmen gas via Iran
Turkey’s energy minister said Ankara halted imports of Turkmen gas through Iranian infrastructure because of US sanctions pressure. Alparslan Bayraktar said concerns involving the US Office of Foreign Assets Control prevented the arrangement from resuming.
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Iran exempts India, China, Iraq and Qatar ships from Hormuz limits
A senior Iranian lawmaker said ships from India, China, Iraq and Qatar can pass through the Strait of Hormuz freely, with Tehran seeking medicine, political support and transit fees. Analysts told Al Jazeera the exemptions carry political risks and it is unclear how they will work alongside the US naval blockade.
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Iraq offers to mediate between Iran and US amid war fears
Iraq's foreign ministry said Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein proposed forming a regional committee to reduce tensions and mediate between Iran and the United States, ISNA reported. The initiative comes as Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi told President Donald Trump that Baghdad will not allow its territory to be used to attack neighboring countries, and Hussein warned that a renewed US-Iran war would be a disaster for Iraq.
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Commentary urges Trump to end Iran war and fire top officials
A commentary published by Responsible Statecraft, the Quincy Institute's magazine, argues that President Donald Trump should immediately end the war with Iran, withdraw US troops from the Persian Gulf, and lift the naval blockade. It says he should fire senior national security officials and restrain Israel to prevent them from prolonging the conflict.
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Antiwar analysis warns nuclear strike on Iran is very close
An Antiwar Viewpoints opinion piece warns that a nuclear strike on Iran is very close and uses the 1984 British film Threads to illustrate the consequences of nuclear war.
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Klippenstein blames CENTCOM chief for Iran war and Hormuz crisis
In his newsletter, independent journalist Ken Klippenstein argued that Navy Adm. Brad Cooper, the CENTCOM commander, is the chief architect of the Iran war and the Strait of Hormuz crisis that sent fuel prices soaring. Klippenstein cited internal Pentagon documents showing Cooper’s approved plan had four military objectives and did not include keeping Hormuz open or destroying Iran’s nuclear program. CENTCOM recently launched a podcast featuring Cooper, who said Hormuz remains open and is controlled by the United States and its regional partners.
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Hegseth vows to fight impeachment, defends Iran war
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth released a video vowing to fight impeachment efforts and defending the Iran war as "courageous and historic," after midterm losses that Vice President JD Vance said cost Republicans control of Congress. Hegseth's remarks came as Democrats promised investigations, Republican Representative Thomas Massie said he would reintroduce articles of impeachment, and The New York Times reported he faces bipartisan scrutiny.