Breaking, November 13, 2026: Trump says no Iran deal needed as supertankers burn in Hormuz

Full-scale fighting between Iran and the United States has been on hold for months, yet there is still no formal peace deal. In recent days, hopes for a settlement and fears of renewed strikes have traded places almost daily. This report uses Al Jazeera as its anchor and cross-checks American, European, Middle Eastern and Iranian outlets to map developments through November 12 (Japan time: 2026/11/12 to 2026/11/13).

🔵 How to read the credibility labels: 🟢 = confirmed by multiple sources / 🟡 = single source or an official claim by a party to the conflict / 🔵 = editorial analysis. Labels appear at the start of each paragraph. Dates follow local reporting, with Japan time added where the time is known.

Trump: "We don't need a deal with Iran"

🟢 On November 12 (Japan time: 2026/11/12), President Trump wrote on Truth Social: "We don't need a deal with Iran. Those days have long since passed." He added that Washington has "their money, hundreds of billions of dollars," and "their Strait." The wording was reported by The National, Gulf News, a major American business network and Israeli media.

🟢 In the same post, Trump told Vice President Vance, who had been handling outreach to Tehran, to give his "complete and total attention" to alleged large-scale fraud in Minnesota, California and Illinois. Several American outlets said this effectively froze the latest diplomatic track run by Vance.

🟡 Only days earlier, on November 10 (Japan time: 2026/11/10 to 2026/11/11), Trump had called renewed military action "quite unlikely" for now, while saying the country stayed "locked and loaded." Republicans lost their congressional majority in the November 3 midterms, which The National links to the shift in tone.

🔵 "No deal needed" sounds hawkish, but it can also be read as: the blockade and sanctions are doing the work, so there is no rush to launch new strikes. It looks more like a refusal to make concessions than a declaration that the war is back on.

Peace talks: a Qatari plan and seven Iranian conditions

🟢 Iran's chief negotiator, parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, told Al Jazeera that Washington must now "make and announce" a decision on Tehran's latest proposal: "The ball is now in the American court" (November 12, Japan time: 2026/11/12). Iran has rejected an American proposal to move its stockpile of 60 percent enriched uranium to a third country.

🟡 Tehran links any settlement to seven conditions. Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, said the first is an end to the war on all fronts, especially Lebanon, and that the Strait of Hormuz will stay closed until all are met (Iran International, November 11). Others reportedly include lifting the blockade, sanctions relief, release of frozen funds and a formal end to the war. Iran has never published the full list, and officials describe it differently.

🟡 Qatar's prime minister reportedly carried an Iranian proposal to the White House. According to two diplomatic sources, Iran would reopen the strait and stop attacking tankers, while Washington would lift the blockade and free 8 billion dollars of Iranian funds held in Qatar. Neither government has confirmed the terms. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said an offer to reopen the strait within two days still stands, provided the war ends on all fronts.

🟡 At the United Nations climate conference this week, Iran also demanded compensation for environmental damage from American and Israeli strikes, and reportedly made it part of its latest peace proposal (Fox News).

🟢 Secretary of State Marco Rubio called Iran's demands "unacceptable." Al Jazeera and others report a split inside the administration: Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent favor sustained pressure, while Vance had pushed for a negotiated deal.

Strait of Hormuz: tanker blasts and the naval blockade

🟡 The navy of Iran's Revolutionary Guards said two supertankers using a southern route that Tehran calls "unauthorized" were halted by a "massive explosion" overnight and are on fire. The cargo was put at more than four million barrels (Tasnim, 11:23 Tehran time on November 12, which is 16:53 Japan time on 2026/11/12). Iranian state media blamed naval mines. This has not been independently verified.

🟡 The Revolutionary Guards warned that any ship that switches off its tracking and works with the American military to use the southern route "will face a similar fate." Ghalibaf said the waterway will "never return" to its pre-war status (Al Jazeera, November 11).

🟢 Ship-tracking data from Kpler, reported by Reuters, showed five commodity vessels crossing the strait on November 7 and none on November 8, compared with 31 the previous weekend. Reuters also counted at least 10 ships hit in the first 10 days of November, after 37 attacks in October. Oil leaking from damaged vessels threatens the coasts of Oman and the United Arab Emirates.

🟢 Central Command says it is keeping the strait open while enforcing a naval blockade of Iran. On November 7 it launched "Iron Gate," a task force to stop weapons and dual-use goods from reaching Iran overland or across the Caspian Sea. Russia's foreign ministry called it "a clear threat" to the rights of Caspian coastal states (Euronews, November 12).

Israel: orders to step up preparations for a strike

🟡 Israeli media reported on the evening of November 11 that the security cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, ordered the military to intensify preparations for a possible attack on Iran (as cited by Al Jazeera). Public broadcaster Kan warned this "could trigger a war," and opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot urged Netanyahu not to deploy the military without an immediate threat.

🟡 Netanyahu's coalition lost its majority in October's election, and he now serves as caretaker prime minister. The Financial Times reported that he has been pressing Trump almost daily to resume strikes. Israeli media described a heated weekend phone call, which Netanyahu's office denied.

🟢 Rezaei warned that if Washington starts another war, "every military base involved in the aggression" will be a target: "No safe distance. No safe haven. No immunity." Revolutionary Guards chief Ahmad Vahidi said missile development will continue despite threats and sanctions.

Houthis and Saudi Arabia: interceptions over Riyadh and Mecca

🟢 The Saudi-led coalition said that overnight from November 11 into November 12 (Japan time: 2026/11/12) it destroyed three cruise missiles heading toward Riyadh, plus two drones over the Mecca region and the southern border. Two ballistic missiles were also fired in the same salvo, with debris falling in the Mecca region. Reuters reported no casualties or damage.

🟡 Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree claimed the cruise missiles hit King Khalid International Airport and "achieved their objectives." He denied that any drone targeted Mecca, saying operations target oil facilities and military bases. He also claimed a strike on a pumping station in Yanbu, which Saudi Arabia has not confirmed.

🟢 Attacks have come almost daily. On November 8, debris from an "attempted attack" caused minor damage to the Aramco Tower in Riyadh. On November 9, the East-West pipeline in the Medina region was hit again, causing a "limited fire" that did not disrupt operations, according to the Saudi energy ministry. The pipeline lets Saudi crude bypass Hormuz and reach the Red Sea.

🟡 The Houthi-run Saba news agency reported coalition airstrikes on facilities in Sanaa, which the coalition has not confirmed. A Houthi attack on Riyadh's airport last month reportedly killed 13 people. Fighting has escalated since September, when the Houthis advanced toward the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

Europe, Britain and the Group of Seven

🟢 Foreign ministers of the Group of Seven met in Paris on November 9 to November 10. Their joint declaration "strongly condemns" the obstruction of transit through Hormuz and attacks on civilian ships, rejects tolls or discriminatory limits on passage, and backs Central Command's demining and escort work together with a defensive initiative led by France and Britain (German Federal Foreign Office).

🟢 The declaration says Iran "must never be allowed to develop or acquire a nuclear weapon," and promises continued economic and political pressure if diplomacy fails. It also condemns Houthi strikes on Yemen and Saudi Arabia "in the strongest terms" and welcomes the European Union naval missions Aspides and Atalanta in the Red Sea.

🟡 In Britain, Prime Minister Andy Burnham said in October that the Revolutionary Guards were "almost certainly" behind a security incident at the Fairford air base in England, used by American bombers. The declaration acknowledges that attribution. Iran denies involvement and calls it a "false flag" operation (Al Jazeera).

Inside Iran: currency, prices and daily life

🟡 According to Iran International, the dollar traded at about 2.63 million rials in November, up from about 1.6 million in early April, meaning the rial lost nearly 40 percent of its value in seven months. The Statistical Center of Iran put annual inflation at 76.8 percent in October, with food and drink prices up more than 120 percent from a year earlier.

🟡 The monthly minimum wage is about 166 million rials, roughly 63 dollars at current rates. President Masoud Pezeshkian said, "I cannot accept that anyone in the country goes to bed hungry," and that he had been ordered to end the "no-war, no-peace situation." In early November, retirees and teachers reportedly protested over prices and unpaid benefits.

🔵 Economic pain gives Tehran a reason to seek a deal, yet leaders may struggle to accept terms that look like surrender at home. Analysts quoted by Al Jazeera describe a test of endurance in which each side expects the other to crack first.

Oil prices: Brent and West Texas Intermediate

🟡 The latest figures come from the real-time futures ticker on Oilprice.com, captured at about 06:30 Japan time on 2026/11/13. The changes are measured against the November 11 settlement reported by Al Jazeera.

🟢 The direction is consistent across sources. On November 12, crude fell early after Saudi Arabia reported October output of 10.56 million barrels a day, up 26 percent and the highest since the war began. It then reversed after the Trump post: Brent topped 94 dollars in London, and an Oklahoma energy outlet reported a jump of "nearly 3 dollars a barrel." A pricing service showed Brent at 93.78 dollars at 01:56 Japan time on 2026/11/13.

🟢 Both benchmarks remain below 100 dollars. Brent fell about 16 percent last week, its steepest weekly drop since the start of the pandemic.

🔵 Note: oil is moving fast. Please recheck the latest price at the time of publication. Some overseas data sites lag and can show stale prices that are several dollars off.

Official statements at a glance

Analysis: how long can "no war, no peace" last?

🔵 Each side holds a trump card it will not give up first: Washington the blockade and sanctions, Tehran control over the strait. Trump's "no deal needed" post is likely to chill talks, at least in the short term.

🔵 Yet a return to war is not easy either. A Democratic Congress could restrict military spending from January, and interceptor shortages have been reported. A unilateral Israeli strike, an expanded Houthi campaign against Saudi Arabia, or more tanker losses in Hormuz could each break the stalemate quickly.

🔵 For most of us, the clearest impact is the price of oil. It has slipped below 100 dollars, but there is no sign of normal traffic through Hormuz, and a single headline can still move prices by several dollars. The next things to watch are Qatar's mediation and how Washington answers Iran's proposal.

Sources

• Al Jazeera: Iran warns of expanded retaliation as Israel reportedly readies to attack
• Al Jazeera: No war, no peace: Can Iran break the deadlock?
• Al Jazeera: Iran war live, November 12
• Al Jazeera: Saudi Arabia downs missiles fired at Riyadh
• The National: Trump says he no longer needs an Iran deal
• Gulf News: Is the Middle East stuck in no war, no peace?
• Fox News: Iran war live updates, November 12
• Tasnim: Revolutionary Guards report tanker explosion in Hormuz
• Euronews: Russia and Iran criticise Caspian task force
• Iran International: Iran's seven conditions
• Iran International: Iran faces economic attrition under blockade
• German Federal Foreign Office: Group of Seven joint declaration, Paris
• House of Saud: Coalition intercepts missiles and drones over Riyadh and Makkah
• Cyprus Mail: Houthis deny targeting Mecca
• Le Private Banker: Oil jumps above 94 dollars after Trump post
• Oklahoma Energy Today: Oil jumps nearly 3 dollars
• Oilprice.com: real-time crude futures
• Oil Price Api: oil prices today

This report was compiled by our editors from international media. Japanese news outlets were not used. The situation is changing quickly, so please check each source for the latest information.