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Iran live updates: Americans 'said NO TO WAR,' Ghalibaf says of midterm results

PHOTO: An Iranian woman holds a portrait of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei during a rally in Tehran's Enghelab Square on Nov. 3, 2026.

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Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images

US carries out defensive airstrikes on Iran's Qeshm Island: Officials

Talks between the U.S. and Iran remain stalled despite the two countries signing a memorandum of understanding in June, aimed at ending the war that began with joint American-Israeli strikes on the country in February. The opening strikes killed a host of top Iranian officials and commanders, among them Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The two sides have continued to exchange strikes, though have not returned to the intense fighting seen in the early stages of the conflict. The U.S. says it is enforcing a naval blockade of the country's Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman ports, while Iran claims control over the strategic Strait of Hormuz and continues to claim attacks on shipping transiting the waterway.

Meanwhile, intensified fighting between Saudi-backed Yemeni forces and Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen has seen the latter repeatedly attack Saudi military, oil infrastructure and transport facilities.

See the most recent developments below.

Nov 04, 2026 7:16 AM

Americans 'said NO TO WAR,' Ghalibaf says of midterm results

Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf suggested in a post to X on Wednesday morning that the midterm election results indicated the opposition of American voters to the ongoing war with Iran.

"Conscience or the cost of living, Americans said NO TO WAR, and we endorse this message," Ghalibaf wrote.

"If the US govt betrays their public will to serve international paymasters and blackmailers, it will learn our NO comes with a Nightmare," he added.

Nov 03, 2026 9:06 PM

2 vessels report attacks while traveling through Strait of Hormuz, UKMTO says

The UKMTO issued alerts on two attacks on vessels transiting through the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday.

The Indian government reported an attack on an Indian crew Dhow while sailing through the strait. The Omani Royal Navy rescued the surviving crew, UKMTO said.

UKMTO said it is unaware of the status of the vessel.

The second incident was reported northeast of Lima, Oman, where a tanker security officer reported its engine room being struck by two unknown projectiles, according to the UKMTO.

No casualties or environmental impact have been reported in the second incident, according to the UKMTO.

"Vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO," the UKMTO said.

-ABC News' Will Gretsky

Nov 03, 2026 12:05 PM

Tehran's 'finger on the trigger,' Ghalibaf says amid negotiations

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of Iran's parliament who led Tehran's delegation in peace talks with the U.S. earlier this year, said on Tuesday that the onus is now on the U.S. to prevent a return to war after Iran delivered what he called a "firm and rational response" in ongoing negotiations.

"Just as the Islamic Republic of Iran stands ready for battle with its finger on the trigger, it has also delivered a firm and rational response to the American side. The ball is now in America's court to prevent war," Ghalibaf said in comments carried by Iran's state-run television network, IRIB.

"Meanwhile, from the military and defensive point of view we are at the highest level of preparedness," Ghalibaf added.

PHOTO: A woman holds a portrait of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei during a pro-government rally in Tehran's Enghelab Square on Nov. 3, 2026.

Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images

A woman holds a portrait of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei during a pro-government rally in Tehran's Enghelab Square on Nov. 3, 2026.

Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images

-ABC News' Nasser Atta and Othon Leyva

Nov 03, 2026 8:09 AM

Trump hints at future strikes on Pickaxe Mountain, downplays war

President Donald Trump on Monday night defended the U.S. war in Iran and floated more action against Iran's nuclear program.

Trump's comments came as U.S. forces conducted what two American officials told ABC News were defensive strikes on Iran's Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday.

Speaking with Fox News' Sean Hannity, Trump downplayed the war and asserted that the U.S. had not attacked Iran in some time.

Trump also said the U.S. "might have to go after" a facility buried under Iran's Pickaxe Mountain, which is in Iran's Isfahan region and just to the south of the Natanz nuclear complex. The president has repeatedly threatened action against the site.

"We might have to go after Pickaxe, but that's not a big deal. We can do it. And literally we can do that in one hour. Okay? As soon as we want, at any time we want," Trump said.

The president downplayed the conflict, which began with joint U.S.-Israeli strikes in February. "Well, when was the last time we fired anything? This isn't a war. This is a very soft war," Trump said. He continued, "This is not much of a war, Sean, because there hasn't been shooting for months."

-ABC News' Nicholas Kerr