Audio Briefing: November 4 Strike Warning Meets Doha Talks in Iran Crossroads

WASHINGTON — Washington has told its Gulf allies to prepare for a short, intense round of strikes on Iran as soon as November 4, the day after America's midterm elections, according to MS NOW, citing three senior Gulf Arab officials. The allies are lobbying Washington to de-escalate, fearing Iranian retaliation, and one official said some countries may resist the use of their air bases for attacks.

The warning follows a week of reported briefings: the Wall Street Journal reported that CENTCOM chief Admiral Brad Cooper briefed President Donald Trump in person on Thursday, while diplomatic sources told the Associated Press that Washington advised Middle East allies to prepare for military action resuming after the midterms. Trump has promised no new strikes before Tuesday's vote, and said on Friday that the war is going to be over very soon and that Iran will not have a nuclear weapon.

Tehran answered on Saturday. Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei met senior commanders and ordered an immediate response without geographic limits to any enemy threat, saying Iran's armed forces and nation will determine when and under what conditions any renewed attacks end. At the same time, Qatari mediators spent more than twelve hours in talks in Tehran on Friday, with discussions due to continue in Doha on Saturday, where a US delegation is reported to be joining direct talks after preliminary understandings on the nuclear programme, Hormuz passage and economic incentives, with China and Russia as guarantors. The gap remains wide: Washington wants nuclear concessions first, while Tehran demands the naval blockade lifted, frozen funds released and oil sales allowed. Full context on the Gulf standoff is in our Middle East coverage.