Iran prolongs US talks in stalemate to influence midterms, officials say

Summary

Iran has deliberately prolonged talks with the United States to try to weaken Donald Trump politically ahead of November's US midterm elections, senior officials say. Fears of renewed military action and deep distrust of Washington have reinforced Tehran's reluctance to strike a quick deal to end the war. Iranian officials, as reported by The Times of Israel, say Iran is stalling on a deal to hurt Trump politically before the midterms, with talks also hampered by deep distrust between the two nations as the threat of renewed attacks looms. The same report says two tankers went up in flames after hitting mines in the Strait of Hormuz.

Timeline

1. Straits Times

   20 Oct 2026, 10:31 UTCSource ↗

   Senior officials say Iran has deliberately prolonged talks with the US to weaken Donald Trump politically before the November midterms, and fears of renewed military action and distrust of Washington make Tehran reluctant to strike a quick deal to end the war.

2. Japan Times

   20 Oct 2026, 10:49 UTCSource ↗

   Citing officials, the Japan Times reports that fears of renewed military action and deep distrust of Washington have reinforced Tehran's reluctance to strike a quick deal to end the war, and that Iran is prolonging the talks to influence the US midterms.

3. Times of Israel

   20 Oct 2026, 15:24 UTCSource ↗

   Iranian officials say Iran is stalling on a deal with the US to hurt Trump politically ahead of the midterms, with talks also hampered by deep distrust and the threat of renewed attacks, and the report says two tankers went up in flames after hitting mines in Hormuz.