US says no need for new attacks but calls Iran's peace terms 'absurd'

The US is downplaying the chances of a fresh attack against Iran even as it characterises Tehran’s conditions for a political settlement as “absurd”. US President Donald Trump said on Monday after meeting Qatar’s prime minister at the White House that the war was “effectively over” and that there was “momentum” to end the conflict. Trump has used deescalatory language since the Republican Party was badly defeated in US midterm elections on 3 November by the Democrats, who campaigned against the war and rising energy prices. But Trump’s characterisation of ongoing talks was directly disputed by Mohsen Rezaei, a former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander who is secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. Read more: US says no need for new attacks but calls Iran's peace terms 'absurd' Vessels are seen at the Strait of Hormuz from Musandam, Oman, on 19 October 2026 (Stringer/Reuters)