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On the 4th local time, Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba issued a statement on U.S.-Iran relations, saying$XAU

‌ that the results of the U.S. midterm elections would not change the U.S. hostility toward Iran, and that even a slight inclination to yield to the “hegemonic enemy”$XAU USD

‌ would embolden it further; if U.S. aggression were to recur, Iran's response would be broader and the war on a larger scale.
On the same day, U.S. President Trump said he would decide when the war with Iran would end, and said he did not regret launching it, adding that he would decide whether to escalate U.S. actions against Iran as circumstances warranted.
Meanwhile, mediators including Qatar and Egypt continued their efforts, but Iran and the U.S. remained sharply divided on key issues such as lifting oil sanctions, ending the naval blockade, and unfreezing funds, while the military standoff showed no signs of easing. Trump says he will decide when the war ends
Iran says midterm election results will not change U.S. hostility
· Trump says he does not regret launching the war with Iran
On November 4 local time, U.S. President Trump said he had not said the war with Iran would end immediately after the U.S. midterm elections. Trump said, “The war with Iran will end when I want it to,” adding that it had to end the right way.
Trump acknowledged that the war with Iran had “some impact” on the Republican Party's performance in the U.S. midterm elections, but said he did not regret launching it.
△U.S. President Trump (file photo)
Trump also said that he would decide whether to escalate U.S. actions against Iran as circumstances warranted. He said there was no need to use nuclear weapons against Iran. “I don't need to use nuclear weapons. We have destroyed 90% of their strength.”
· Iran's Supreme Leader: U.S. midterm election results will not change U.S. hostility
On the 4th local time, Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba issued a statement on U.S.-Iran relations. In the statement, Mojtaba said those who believe the results of the U.S. midterm elections could change U.S. hostility toward Iran are gravely mistaken. He said that even a slight inclination to yield to the “hegemonic enemy” would embolden it further.
△Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba (file photo)
Mojtaba said that Iran's control of the Strait of Hormuz and destruction of U.S. military bases in regional countries were a response to U.S. aggression, but also a struggle against arrogance. If U.S. aggression were to recur, Iran's response would be broader, and the war would be on a larger scale (than before).
Mojtaba also said the current situation in the Persian Gulf, particularly in the Strait of Hormuz, had proven the shattering of the myth of U.S. invincibility and exposed the weakness of countries that rely on outside powers.
· Iranian official: Mediators' efforts have yet to bridge the gap between Iran and the U.S.
A senior Iranian official said on the 3rd that Iran and the U.S. remained a long way from reaching an agreement to end the war. Qatar, Egypt, and other regional countries are pushing for diplomatic mediation, but the two sides remain sharply divided on key issues, and the military standoff has not eased.

The Iranian official, who declined to be named, said mediators were working to narrow the differences between Iran and the U.S., but Iran would not accept the “excessive demands” made by Washington. If the U.S. wants the Strait of Hormuz reopened, it must meet Iran's conditions, including lifting oil sanctions, ending the U.S. naval blockade, and unfreezing Iranian funds.
Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, also said that the U.S. response to Iran's demands was “unconvincing.” Iran also said that nuclear talks would be difficult to begin until its conditions were met.
Multiple parties push for a diplomatic resolution to the war with Iran
U.S.-Iran military tensions continue
· Multiple regional countries continue to push for a diplomatic resolution to the war with Iran
Egypt's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on the 3rd that Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty had spoken by phone that day with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, urging all sides to show flexibility and resolve the regional crisis through political means. On the same day, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al Ansari said Iran and the U.S. were studying proposals put forward by mediators and that Qatar, as a mediator, “cannot lose hope.”

In addition, Qatar is closely coordinating with Pakistan, member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council, and other regional and international partners, continuing to convey proposals between Iran and the U.S. “Efforts to bridge the differences are ongoing.”
· U.S.-Iran military tensions continue
On the 4th local time, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issued a statement saying it had shot down a U.S. military MQ-1 drone over Iran's Qeshm Island. The statement said that over the past several nights, the enemy had stepped up reconnaissance and intelligence activities in an attempt to detect Iran's air defense systems, while carrying out a series of “conspiratorial actions” in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran had successfully intercepted them multiple times.
The statement said the IRGC Navy continued to monitor the Strait of Hormuz, once again demonstrating that the authority to manage and control the strait rested with Iran. “The enemy's attempts to change the status quo in the region will not succeed.”
U.S. sources said that on the night of the 2nd, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had fired missiles from Qeshm Island at a U.S. military aircraft. U.S. warplanes then took “defensive measures” and destroyed an Iranian surface-to-air missile launcher. U.S. media, citing U.S. officials, reported that unlike during the early stages of the conflict, the U.S. did not publicly announce these strikes. Washington deliberately kept a low profile to avoid signaling any intent to resume large-scale military operations.
Experts said Qeshm Island commands the narrowest point of the Strait of Hormuz, and Iran has stationed troops and deployed a full range of military assets there. Recently, it has struck merchant vessels it deemed to have illegally crossed the strait. The U.S. actions had three objectives:
First, to prevent Iran from thinking it could avoid being struck during negotiations, maintaining military pressure alongside diplomacy;
Second, to weaken Iran's control of the strait and reinforce the narrative that “the strait is open and under U.S. control”;
Third, to project toughness and demonstrate the White House's command to domestic hawks. The logic is “fight while negotiating,” with negotiations and strikes proceeding in parallel.