Morning update

4 November 2026 08:05 GMT Good morning Middle East Eye readers, Here are the latest developments: Iranian media is reporting that Tehran is not planning to attend talks with the United States, after President Donald Trump ordered US negotiators to travel to Pakistan on Monday, just days before a ceasefire in the Middle East expires. US President Donald Trump acknowledged that the war on Iran played a role in Republicans' losses in the midterm elections . "I think a part of it was Iran, but at the same time people understood the importance of what I've done with Iran," he said during an interview with Fox News. In another interview with The New York Times, the American president said he was willing to accept the results of the midterm elections. Iran's chief negotiator in talks with the US Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said that Americans voted "NO TO WAR" after Democrats routed Republicans in the midterm elections. "Conscience or the cost of living, Americans said NO TO WAR, and we endorse this message," Ghalibaf wrote in a post on X. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said four "rogue" oil tankers were destroyed after htting naval mines while trying to traverse a route in the Strait of Hormuz that is considered prohibited. The incident occurred south of the waterway, with the statement adding that IRGC forces also intercepted two other vessels. Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid has accused supporters of Benajmin Netanyahu's government of attempting to "crush" Tel Aviv's democracy. "What we are seeing tonight is an attempt to crush democracy and steal the election with the help of government plants in the security system," he said in a post on X. "This is a direct threat to our democracy from people who are unwilling to admit defeat," Lapid added. Speaking to the Financial Times, US President Donald Trump indicated that are no immediate plans to strike Iran. "I'm ready, we're ready. We're locked and loaded if we need to go, but there may be no reason for it," he said. "We seem to be getting everything we want," Trump added, referring to negotiations with Iran.