Iran Holds Firm on Demands as US Escalation Looms Ahead of Midterms

As regional powers step up diplomatic efforts to prevent another escalation in the eight-month United States-Israel war on Iran, Tehran shows little sign of backing down from its red lines, according to Al Jazeera’s reporting by Usaid Siddiqui. China announced on Tuesday that Beijing will send an envoy to relevant countries in the region soon to help avoid another round of escalation. On Monday, senior officials from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye, the three nations that signed the Mecca defence pact in August, met with high-ranking Iranian officials and promised to continue discussions on “peace and security” in the region.

Al Jazeera reports that Tehran holds considerable leverage over maritime trade in the Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas was shipped before the war. Tehran continues to insist on sanctions relief, an end to the US naval blockade on its Gulf ports, and guarantees that the US will not renew attacks, in exchange for helping restore normal traffic through the strait. The US wants Iran to make more concessions before a final peace settlement is negotiated, including on its nuclear programme.

Negar Mortazavi, editor and host of The Iran Podcast, told Al Jazeera that Iran’s priority “is not simply to secure another ceasefire, but to end the war permanently and establish deterrence.” Al Jazeera’s sources point to Iran’s deep distrust of Washington, which has launched strikes on Iran three times since June 2025 while conducting talks. Experts also cite Iran’s belief that continued economic pressure could win more favourable US concessions, and the elections in Israel and the US in the coming days.

Al Jazeera reports that the US and Israel launched the first strikes of the current war on February 28, while peace talks were ongoing in Oman. Israel had earlier launched a 12-day war on Iran in June 2025, which the US joined. Pakistan and Qatar helped broker a memorandum of understanding in June 2026 aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz, ending the US blockade of Iranian ports and setting conditions for nuclear negotiations. The arrangement quickly unravelled as both sides resumed attacks, with sustained US strikes on Iran for several weeks in July, followed by Iranian retaliatory strikes on US military assets and energy infrastructure in neighbouring Gulf countries and in Jordan.

Sina Toossi, a senior non-resident fellow at the Center for International Policy, told Al Jazeera that the failure of that arrangement had hardened Tehran’s position. “Iran believes previous negotiations and ceasefire arrangements failed to protect it from renewed military attacks, and it is therefore seeking more tangible and durable guarantees,” he said. Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said last week that Iran’s armed forces were prepared to respond to any new attacks. He also said Iran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and begin peace talks only after Washington took concrete steps to rebuild trust, including suspending sanctions, unfreezing Iranian assets, lifting the naval blockade and giving assurances that it will not resume strikes.

US President Donald Trump has remained ambiguous about his next steps. “My question is, do I make a deal with them or do I finish them off?” he told reporters on Sunday, according to Al Jazeera. He had previously said attacks on Iran would not take place until after the US midterm elections on November 3. Al Jazeera reports that all 435 House seats and 35 of the 100 Senate seats are up for election, and that the war is becoming an increasingly contentious domestic issue. A Reuters/Ipsos survey cited by Al Jazeera found that 34 percent of Americans approved of Trump’s handling of the conflict, his lowest rating in either of his presidential terms.

The war has also raised energy prices. Al Jazeera reports that diesel has nearly doubled in price, placing a major burden on farmers and small businesses and adding to concerns about inflation and affordability in the election campaign. The pursuit of peace in the region, and the costs borne by ordinary people, remain at the centre of the diplomatic effort (Romans 12:18).

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