Trump has not decided on new Iran strikes, Rubio says
US President Donald Trump has not yet decided whether to order new strikes against Iran, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Saturday, 31 October. Rubio said Washington would still prefer to end the conflict through diplomacy.
Rubio was speaking in Atlanta, where he was hosting foreign ministers from the G20 group of major economies. He said contact with Iran was continuing directly and, more often, through go-betweens. “There are multiple talks. Talks have actually never stopped,” he said. He declined to give a timetable for the talks.
His remarks came as Iranian negotiators met Qatari mediators in Doha on Saturday, Reuters reported, citing a source briefed on the talks. The meeting followed more than 12 hours of talks between Iranian and Qatari envoys in Tehran on Friday. The source said the talks were being coordinated in regular contact with Washington.
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, said on Saturday that the armed forces should be ready to respond to any attack, Reuters reported. He said any threat should be met with an “immediate, impactful, and geographically unrestricted response”. Iran has repeatedly said it would strike US and Israeli targets in neighbouring countries if it is attacked again.
Reports in recent days had suggested Trump could restart strikes after Tuesday’s midterm elections. Rubio said Trump would prefer a diplomatic solution, while remaining confident the United States could achieve its military aims if needed.
Why it matters
The statement matters because the Gulf has been braced for a new round of fighting. The war, which began in February, has already disrupted shipping in the Gulf, and Iran has threatened to hit US and Israeli targets in neighbouring countries if it is attacked again. A clear signal that no strike decision has been taken gives diplomacy more room — for now.
What happens next
The Qatar-led talks continue, but Rubio gave no timetable and no sign of how close a deal might be. A Qatari proposal for a seven-day plan of daily trust-building steps was not deemed satisfactory by Tehran, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Friday. Any decision on strikes rests with Trump, and attention will now turn to what happens after Tuesday’s midterm elections.
This article is for general information and education only. It is not legal or financial advice.
Sources
- https://965wtou.com/2026/10/31/iranian-envoys-meet-qatari-mediators-as-threat-looms-of-us-strikes-after-midterms/ (Reuters, 31 October 2026)
- https://menatoday.info/news/no-decision-yet-rubio-downplays-imminent-iran-strike (MENA Today, 31 October 2026)
