Iran offers two-day Hormuz reopening while Trump keeps strike option Democrats favoured as US midterms open after Michigan Senate endorsement Russian bombs kill 18 at Zaporizhzhia aid site as Oleshky truce is disputed Hormuz tanker fires continue as IMO says attack count is understated Ebola deaths pass 5,300 as Congo's fatality rate tops 50%Oil hits two-week low on Iran talks as Gulf growth and Europe's gas buffers strain Houthis reported near Aden as fighting spreads to al-Jawf and Saudi airports Spain train crash toll holds at 69 as investigators cite chain of faults and polls turn against Sánchez Marvell agrees $115bn all-stock takeover of Lumentum Newborn among 15 killed as Myanmar military strikes maternity clinic and school Anthropic discloses revenue surge and $895bn commitments ahead of IPO Supermarket freezers overheated across Europe weeks after French attack Bank of England and RBA expected to hike as ECB and BOJ signal tightening At least 19 dead in Venezuelan army attack on Colombian rebel camp India evacuates thousands ahead of second cyclone in a week French school protests resume on smaller scale as German unions launch strikes Eisenkot gains backing as Netanyahu questions Israeli election result Israel ends 10-day Hebron siege as UN logs record settler attacks Oracle and Alphabet tap bond markets as AI selloff eases Trump administration asks Supreme Court to block 20,000 California mail ballots Tigray fighting pushes Ethiopia's health system toward collapse as Sudan complains to UN about drones Nine dead after Learjet crash in Palm Beach, Florida China steps up Gulf diplomacy as Xi hosts Oman's sultan and Wang Yi meets Iranian official Poland's Constitutional Tribunal clash deepens as EU Commission backs parliament's right to appoint judges Binance customers withdraw billions after record hack linked to North Korea US pushes Russian gas deliveries to Europe, Kremlin says transit not possible now UN envoy expects Sudan transition talks with RSF within weeks Belgian PM De Wever offers resignation after budget talks fail China launches $15bn swap facility to support stocks after sell-off Japan weighs near-doubling of defence spending over five years Iotova wins Bulgarian presidential runoff Hackers send false nuclear warnings through Russian and Ukrainian alert apps South Korean sergeant dies at frontline unit as North Korea vows faster nuclear buildup OpenAI signs deals with ADNOC, G42 and Abu Dhabi as Altman travels to UAE Israeli strikes kill at least three in Gaza despite ceasefire Western Sahara refugees face uncertain future as UN mission MINURSO ends Bolivia declares drought emergency as super El Niño hits Peru's fisheries Bangladesh garment workers block highway as wage protests enter third day Trump removes South Africa from AGOA trade programme Iran offers two-day Hormuz reopening while Trump keeps strike option Democrats favoured as US midterms open after Michigan Senate endorsement Russian bombs kill 18 at Zaporizhzhia aid site as Oleshky truce is disputed Hormuz tanker fires continue as IMO says attack count is understated Ebola deaths pass 5,300 as Congo's fatality rate tops 50%Oil hits two-week low on Iran talks as Gulf growth and Europe's gas buffers strain Houthis reported near Aden as fighting spreads to al-Jawf and Saudi airports Spain train crash toll holds at 69 as investigators cite chain of faults and polls turn against Sánchez Marvell agrees $115bn all-stock takeover of Lumentum Newborn among 15 killed as Myanmar military strikes maternity clinic and school Anthropic discloses revenue surge and $895bn commitments ahead of IPO Supermarket freezers overheated across Europe weeks after French attack Bank of England and RBA expected to hike as ECB and BOJ signal tightening At least 19 dead in Venezuelan army attack on Colombian rebel camp India evacuates thousands ahead of second cyclone in a week French school protests resume on smaller scale as German unions launch strikes Eisenkot gains backing as Netanyahu questions Israeli election result Israel ends 10-day Hebron siege as UN logs record settler attacks Oracle and Alphabet tap bond markets as AI selloff eases Trump administration asks Supreme Court to block 20,000 California mail ballots Tigray fighting pushes Ethiopia's health system toward collapse as Sudan complains to UN about drones Nine dead after Learjet crash in Palm Beach, Florida China steps up Gulf diplomacy as Xi hosts Oman's sultan and Wang Yi meets Iranian official Poland's Constitutional Tribunal clash deepens as EU Commission backs parliament's right to appoint judges Binance customers withdraw billions after record hack linked to North Korea US pushes Russian gas deliveries to Europe, Kremlin says transit not possible now UN envoy expects Sudan transition talks with RSF within weeks Belgian PM De Wever offers resignation after budget talks fail China launches $15bn swap facility to support stocks after sell-off Japan weighs near-doubling of defence spending over five years Iotova wins Bulgarian presidential runoff Hackers send false nuclear warnings through Russian and Ukrainian alert apps South Korean sergeant dies at frontline unit as North Korea vows faster nuclear buildup OpenAI signs deals with ADNOC, G42 and Abu Dhabi as Altman travels to UAE Israeli strikes kill at least three in Gaza despite ceasefire Western Sahara refugees face uncertain future as UN mission MINURSO ends Bolivia declares drought emergency as super El Niño hits Peru's fisheries Bangladesh garment workers block highway as wage protests enter third day Trump removes South Africa from AGOA trade programme

Symbolic image: Iran offers two-day Hormuz reopening while Trump keeps strike option

Symbolic image

Iran offers two-day Hormuz reopening while Trump keeps strike option

13 sources

Iran says it can reopen the Strait of Hormuz within two days if the US meets its demands. Trump keeps the option of strikes open.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday, 2 November, that Iran's seven-step plan has been condensed and could be implemented within two days. Tehran demands an end to the US blockade, unfrozen assets, oil sanctions relief and a ceasefire on all fronts before nuclear talks. Trump rejected the plan in September. President Masoud Pezeshkian said the supreme leader has granted the government "certain authorities" over the talks.

Draft deal circulates

An official briefed on the talks said Iran's negotiators left on Sunday and a draft proposal is circulating. The FT reports disputes over sequencing and Iran's 440kg of highly enriched uranium, which Washington wants moved abroad and Tehran refuses to transfer.

Netanyahu presses Trump

Axios reported that Netanyahu urged Trump on Saturday to strike right after Tuesday's US midterms; a US official told the FT Trump is "not there yet". At an Iowa rally on Sunday, Trump said, per Le Monde, the US must at some point deal Iran a "sledgehammer" blow.

Gulf states brace

At a Manama security conference that ended on 1 November, a senior Emirati official speaking for the Gulf states said new confrontation was not in the region's interest and the worst should be expected.