Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi regularly requests talks with his German counterpart as Berlin works with regional countries to prevent renewed US and Israeli attacks on Iran, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said on Wednesday.
“I am not pushing to speak with Iran’s foreign minister; he regularly asks me to speak with him again,” Wadephul said on the Politik mit Anne Will podcast.
Wadephul said Germany was maintaining contact with Tehran while urging Iran to engage constructively in negotiations and pressing Washington to give diplomacy a chance.
He described the coming days as critical, saying a decision on further US military action had not yet been made.
Germany urges both sides to pursue negotiations
Wadephul said he had discussed the risk of renewed fighting with the foreign ministers of Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, including in conversations following a recent G20 meeting.
The discussions focused on identifying possible areas of agreement, bringing the parties back to negotiations and preventing further escalation.
“You have to persuade Iran to be ready to negotiate, which is not easy because its leadership is very divided and there are several factions,” he said.
“I cannot guarantee that this will succeed, but it is my task, together with my colleagues, to do everything we can to resolve this crisis through diplomacy and avoid another round of fighting that would make all of us suffer.”
Wadephul also pointed to a recent meeting in Istanbul, where the foreign ministers of Germany, France, Italy, Britain, Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan jointly called for restraint.
He said Germany's relationships with Washington and Israel allowed it to communicate its concerns directly to both governments.
Military action cannot bring political change, Wadephul says
Despite his criticism of Iran's leadership, Wadephul argued that another military campaign would not produce political change in Tehran.
He described the Islamic Republic as a government that imprisons, tortures and executes its citizens, but said any change in the country's political system would have to come from Iranians themselves.
"Such change cannot be brought about militarily. It can only develop from within Iran," he said.
At the same time, Wadephul accused Tehran of pursuing nuclear weapons capabilities and supporting armed groups in neighboring countries, including Hezbollah in Lebanon and militias in Iraq.
"The cause of this conflict, of course, is an Iran that is preparing to arm itself with nuclear weapons and supports militias in many neighboring countries that do not respect those countries' sovereignty," he said.
He argued that Iran's activities had prompted military responses, while maintaining that further attacks would not provide a lasting solution.
Wadephul said Germany continued to favor economic sanctions and diplomatic pressure over renewed military action.
Berlin warns of risks around Strait of Hormuz
Wadephul expressed particular concern about the possibility of another escalation around the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for international oil shipments.
He said Germany and its partners were urging the United States to refrain from further strikes while encouraging Iran to negotiate, although neither side's response could be guaranteed.
The foreign minister also said he trusted US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who had indicated that President Donald Trump had not made a final decision on resuming major military operations against Iran.
"We're in critical days," Wadephul said. "No one can say exactly how the coming days will unfold."
He said the economic consequences of the conflict reinforced the need for a diplomatic settlement, pointing to higher energy prices affecting consumers and businesses across Europe.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz made a similar appeal Friday, saying the conflict could not be resolved militarily and calling for negotiations.
Speaking in Seoul, Merz said higher energy costs associated with the war had imposed more than 100 billion euros in additional expenses on European businesses and consumers over the past eight months.
He said Germany was intensifying diplomatic coordination with regional governments to help bring the conflict to an end.
US President Donald Trump said his decision to launch the war against Iran remained in the long-term interests of the United States and the world, despite rising fuel prices and Republican losses in Tuesday's midterm elections.
Democrats secured control of both the House and Senate in Tuesday's midterm elections, although counting continued in some races. The Iran war and its impact on fuel prices were among the issues raised during the campaign.
"I am totally convinced that my decision on Iran for the long term good of our country and even the world was absolutely the correct one and it continues to be," Trump told Politico.
Speaking separately to The Wall Street Journal, Trump said the conflict had contributed to the election results, but maintained that he did not regret launching the military campaign alongside Israel in February.
"Iran was a piece of it," he said when asked whether the war had affected Republican performance.
"I did the right thing. I would have done it again," he added.
Trump points to gasoline prices
In an interview with Fox News, Trump said higher fuel prices resulting from the Iran war had affected voters more than the military campaign itself.
"I don't think it's a war," he said when asked about the conflict's impact on the elections. "I think it's a gasoline price."
"People agree with what I'm doing on Iran, but they really probably weren't willing to do the short-term consequence of paying more for gasoline," he said.
Trump described the increase in fuel costs as a temporary consequence of a policy he believed would produce longer-term benefits.
"It's a short-term problem, but for long-term gain," he said.
The conflict has disrupted energy markets and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, contributing to higher fuel costs in the United States and internationally.
No immediate plans for new strikes
In a separate interview with the Financial Times, Trump said Washington had no immediate plans to launch another major attack on Iran, although American forces remained prepared to act if necessary.
"We seem to be getting everything we want," he said.
"We're ready. We're locked and loaded if we need to go, but there may be no reason for it."
Asked by Politico whether the US would escalate military operations against Iran following the elections, Trump said, "We're going to do what's best for this country."
Trump also played down the current level of hostilities, saying he did not consider the confrontation comparable to other major wars.
"I don't consider that we're in war like Ukraine, wars like World War I, World War II," he told the Financial Times.
His remarks followed an overnight US strike on an Iranian air defense facility on Monday. Trump described that operation as limited, saying it was "just a minor attack" and "wasn't war."
He also said indirect negotiations with Tehran were continuing over Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium, which he described as "nuclear dust."
Tehran responds to US election results
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf commented on the midterm elections on Wednesday, interpreting the Republican losses as a sign that American voters opposed the war.
"Conscience or the cost of living, Americans said NO TO WAR, and we endorse this message," he wrote on X.
Ghalibaf also warned Washington against disregarding what he described as the message from American voters.
His comments followed remarks earlier this week in which he said Tehran had delivered a "firm and rational response" to the United States and that the ball was now in Washington's court to prevent renewed fighting.
Diplomatic efforts continue
Qatar has been mediating between Washington and Tehran as both sides consider proposals intended to advance negotiations.
On Tuesday, Qatar's Foreign Ministry said the United States and Iran remained committed to the mediation process and were reviewing suggestions aimed at narrowing their differences.
A source briefed on the talks told Reuters that Qatari mediators expected responses from Washington and Tehran within 36 hours on a new proposal.
A senior Iranian official, however, told Reuters that the two countries remained far from reaching an agreement to end the war and that Tehran would not accept Washington's "excessive demands."
Iran has turned to Beijing and Moscow for backing in talks with Washington over the Strait of Hormuz. Mediators are weighing whether China could help guarantee that Washington delivers on sanctions relief in return for Iranian nuclear concessions.
Al Hadath reported on October 30 that mediators were considering a plan to match each Iranian nuclear concession with a US step to ease sanctions. The draft raised the possibility of China serving as a guarantor. Beijing’s account of its talks with an Iranian envoy on Monday gave no indication it had accepted that role.
The question has practical consequences for Tehran. In 2018, President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the 2015 nuclear agreement and reimposed sanctions. Matching concessions step by step could limit how much Iran gives up before it sees an economic return. What China would do if Washington later restored sanctions remains unclear.
Beijing also has a stake in reopening Hormuz
Ali Bagheri Kani, deputy secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, told Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing on Monday that Tehran wanted China to play a greater role in regional diplomacy. According to China’s foreign ministry, Wang backed Iran’s sovereignty and urged all sides to make concessions to avoid renewed fighting.
Wang’s separate meeting that day with Saudi national security adviser Musaed al-Aiban helps explain the limits of that backing. Wang stressed the need to protect energy supplies and shipping routes. China relies on oil shipped through Hormuz, giving it an interest in reopening the waterway even if Tehran would prefer to keep it closed until Washington meets its demands.
Beijing also announced plans to send its Middle East envoy, Zhai Jun, to Iran, Oman and Saudi Arabia. Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq welcomed a larger Chinese role during his own visit to Beijing. Qatar, meanwhile, continues to mediate between Tehran and Washington.
Where Moscow and Tehran agree
Mohsen Rezaei, who heads Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday. The council said they discussed regional developments. Its public account gave no details of any agreement on the US naval blockade.
Putin said in October that he wanted shipping through Hormuz to resume and sanctions on Iran eventually lifted. Russia has also offered to take custody of Iran’s enriched uranium, giving Moscow a potential role if Tehran and Washington can agree on what happens to the stockpile.
For Tehran, the order of concessions matters. Rezaei said Tuesday that Washington must act on Iran’s seven conditions before the strait reopens. A senior Iranian official told Reuters the demands include oil sanctions waivers, an end to the naval blockade and the release of frozen funds. Moscow supports sanctions relief, but Putin has stopped short of endorsing Tehran’s demand that Washington move first.
Iranian students face mounting security pressure, with sit-ins in Tehran after a doctoral student set himself on fire following repeated disciplinary summonses and reports of dozens summoned by intelligence authorities in the southeast.
Students at the University of Tehran's Faculty of Social Sciences staged a sit-in outside the faculty dean's office at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, demanding an end to disciplinary measures and greater accountability from university authorities, according to the Telegram channel Daneshjuyan-e Mottahed.
The protest followed the self-immolation of Shahin Shokouhi, a sociology doctoral student who set himself on fire outside the university's Foulad building on Sunday after repeated summonses to a disciplinary committee and pressure from security authorities. He was subsequently taken to a medical facility.
The Telegram channel Daneshjuyan-e Pishro reported that students held sit-ins on Monday and Tuesday in response to the incident.
Protesters chanted slogans including "Free imprisoned students," "Free political prisoners," "Woman, Life, Freedom," "Students are awake and reject tyranny," and "Abolish disciplinary committees."
They also chanted "We want neither war nor bloodshed; long live the university."
Placards displayed during the protest read "Disciplinary committees = student self-immolation" and "University officials are responsible for Shahin Shokouhi's life."
Dozens summoned, students suspended in southeast Iran
Separately, dozens of students at the University of Sistan and Baluchestan have been summoned to the Intelligence Ministry since November 1, with some subsequently suspended from their studies for two semesters, according to the local rights group Haalvsh.
Sources cited by the rights group said students had been accused of "leading protests," "causing unrest at the university" and "acting as mercenaries," with some pressured into making forced confessions.
Students were also reportedly instructed to identify fellow students and provide intelligence authorities with information about their activities and personal connections.
Sources told Haalvsh that the university's disciplinary committee had shared students' information with the Intelligence Ministry.
Haalvsh said large numbers of students at the university had faced expulsion and suspension orders during the nationwide protests in January 2026, raising concerns about a repeat of those measures.
Student groups demand end to security pressure
The Islamic Student Associations of the University of Tehran and Tehran University of Medical Sciences criticized psychological pressure and what they described as arbitrary treatment of students following Shokouhi's self-immolation.
The associations called for reforms to university disciplinary committees, the abolition of unlawful procedures and rulings, and a transparent investigation into the incident.
Student councils from eight universities in Tehran also sent a joint letter to President Masoud Pezeshkian protesting increasingly aggressive actions by campus security offices, interference with students' clothing, restrictions on movement in university dormitories and pressure on student union activities.
"University security cannot be achieved through intimidation and extralegal controls," the letter said.
The councils urged authorities to end arbitrary treatment of students, clarify the limits of campus security officials' powers, review unfair disciplinary rulings and take steps to secure the release of detained students.
The letter was signed by student councils at Iran University of Science and Technology, Tarbiat Modares University, Alzahra University, Sharif University of Technology, Iran University of Art, Shahid Beheshti University, Allameh Tabataba'i University and Amirkabir University of Technology.
Iranian authorities have repeatedly arrested students and academics critical of the Islamic Republic over the past several decades, barring some from studying or teaching and subjecting others to security investigations and judicial proceedings.
Such measures have continued following the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom uprising and the nationwide protests in January this year, with students and academics facing summonses, expulsions and disciplinary rulings.
Iranians responding to an Iran International appeal said they could not afford emergency supplies or had nowhere safe to go if wider war resumes with the United States and Israel, with others describing exhaustion after repeated rounds of fighting.
Iran International asked its Instagram followers whether they would prepare emergency kits in the event of another war, drawing around 4,000 replies, many of which cited poverty, rising prices and a lack of public shelters.
Others described growing exhaustion after the 12-day war in June 2025 and the 40-day conflict from February to April 2026, both involving the United States and Israel, as well as decades of political and economic uncertainty.
The responses come after The Atlantic reported last month that the Trump administration was considering renewed strikes on Iran following the US midterm elections, with energy infrastructure among the potential targets.
Some respondents said they would not prepare emergency supplies, although their reasons varied.
‘We buy yogurt in four installments’
Financial hardship was a recurring reason cited by respondents, many of whom said meeting everyday needs had become difficult, let alone stockpiling food, medicines and emergency equipment.
"We buy yogurt in four installments, and then they expect us to stockpile three months' worth of food!" one respondent wrote.
Several Iranians pointed to the considerable cost of putting together even a basic emergency kit containing a flashlight, radio, canned food and other essential supplies.
"Putting together this bag costs 200 million rials [about $73]. Where are we supposed to get that money?" another respondent said.
One person questioned how anyone earning 250 million rials ($91) a month could afford an emergency kit costing at least 150 million rials ($55).
Another estimated the cost of a kit at nearly 300 million rials ($109), saying it was difficult for people who could not afford food for the following day.
The concerns reflect a broader cost-of-living crisis in Iran.
Iran's Statistical Center reported that point-to-point inflation, which compares prices with the same month a year earlier, reached 88.7% in the Iranian month of Mehr, which ended in October.
"We have no money, we're unemployed, and even covering the cost of daily food has become difficult," one respondent said.
Some said they could afford only a few basic items.
"Only things like sanitary pads, pills, tissues and biscuits. I can't afford the rest," one person wrote.
Others said they intended to prepare emergency kits despite the costs, particularly because of concerns about prolonged disruptions to water, electricity and gas supplies.
Several respondents with cardiovascular conditions, diabetes or epilepsy said they had stockpiled several months' worth of essential medication.
‘Where are we supposed to go?’
A lack of safe shelter was another major concern among respondents, with some questioning the purpose of preparing emergency supplies when they had nowhere to escape to.
"Even if we pack a bag, where are we supposed to go? The main question is, where do we go?" one person wrote.
Another said sarcastically: "During a war, all I can do is move from one room to another."
The shortage of public shelters has been acknowledged by Iranian officials.
On September 15, Tehran City Council Chairman Mehdi Chamran said metro stations should be equipped to serve as emergency shelters. He had previously acknowledged that the capital lacked fully equipped and ready-to-use shelters for residents.
Some respondents questioned whether emergency supplies would make any meaningful difference if strikes damaged essential infrastructure, leaving households without electricity, running water or gas for extended periods.
"If they strike the infrastructure, what can you possibly do with a backpack that, at most, can get you through one week?" one wrote.
Iran’s First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref said on September 27 that damage to gas infrastructure during the two recent wars had reduced supplies, adding to the country’s energy shortages.
‘Our entire lives have been a state of emergency’
Beyond financial hardship and the lack of shelter, many responses reflected psychological exhaustion and a growing sense of resignation after repeated conflicts.
Some joked that preparing emergency kits was something only people experiencing war for the first time would do.
"It was only during the 12-day war that the anxiety felt new," one respondent wrote.
Another recalled preparing supplies during the first conflict but gradually abandoning the effort.
"We only packed one the first time. Then we needed our belongings and kept taking them out of the bag. The second time, we just entrusted ourselves to God," the respondent said.
Iran International documented similar sentiments in a June 8 report, when respondents described exhaustion with war, economic pressures and uncertainty about the future.
Despite concerns about the consequences of further fighting, some expressed hope that another conflict could bring political change.
That contradiction was also evident in the latest responses, with some saying they no longer feared renewed war and were instead waiting for it to begin.
"Now I'm more stressed about the possibility that war might not happen," one person wrote.
Others spoke of growing fatigue with the uncertainty surrounding the country's future.
Several respondents blamed the Islamic Republic for keeping Iran in what they described as a state of "suspension and crisis," "constant anxiety" and "living on red alert" throughout its 47 years in power.
One respondent summed up the sentiment shared by many: "Our entire lives have been in a state of emergency."
US intelligence sharing on Iran and other global threats has slowed or temporarily stopped in some cases during President Donald Trump's second term, Reuters reported on Tuesday, citing eight current and former officials and people familiar with the matter.
The disruptions have raised concerns that policymakers may be receiving an incomplete picture of security threats as the administration considers whether to resume military strikes on Iran following Tuesday's midterm elections.
According to Reuters, the problems emerged amid staffing cuts, political pressure on intelligence analysts and tensions between the CIA and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), which oversees coordination among US intelligence agencies.
Fewer assessments on Iran
The CIA stopped jointly producing some assessments with the National Intelligence Council (NIC), an ODNI body responsible for combining findings from across the country's 18 intelligence agencies.
Although the CIA continues to share intelligence with the council and collaborate on some reports, its analysts have increasingly focused on producing their own assessments.
Two people familiar with the matter said the council's overall production had slowed, while five current and former officials told Reuters it had produced no assessments focused on the war in Iran.
"All of these things are adding up in a really complex world where policymakers need to have a more sophisticated, nuanced, and integrated view of the world, and they are getting less," former Deputy Director of National Intelligence Beth Sanner told Reuters.
Political pressure and agency disputes
Reuters reported that some analysts have become reluctant to write assessments contradicting the White House's positions for fear of political retaliation, according to current and former officials.
The difficulties began last year as the Trump administration cut staffing at national security agencies and removed or sidelined officials viewed as disloyal.
The situation was compounded by a dispute between the CIA and ODNI during former intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard's tenure. Three former officials told Reuters that White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles had to intervene several times to ease tensions.
Although relations between the agencies improved following Gabbard's resignation in June, some problems have persisted, according to officials familiar with the situation.
Congress also faced intelligence gaps
Lawmakers and congressional staff temporarily stopped receiving intelligence reports from Gabbard's office following the US military intervention in Iran in June 2025 and the capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January 2026, according to two people familiar with the matter.
Gabbard's office also halted congressional briefings on election threats in 2025, Reuters reported. Those briefings resumed after Jay Clayton became director of national intelligence in August.
The CIA said it continued to participate fully in established intelligence assessment processes, including the Presidential Daily Brief and work involving the National Intelligence Council.
ODNI disputed suggestions of a significant decline in the council's output, saying assessment production remained close to historical levels.
Reuters also reported that some former intelligence officials were developing bipartisan proposals at Stanford University's Hoover Institution to improve coordination across the intelligence community under a future administration.
