• Pulls Vance away from peace talks, orders vice president to target ‘fraud’ in Democrat-run cities
• Erdogan urges Iran, US to return to negotiations

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump said on Thursday the US does not need a deal with Iran, directing Vice President JD Vance to focus on alleged crime and corruption in Democratic-run cities instead of resolving the eight-month war.

Trump’s directive came a day after the Wall Street Journal reported that Vance was considering face-to-face peace talks with a senior Iranian security official. It also followed Vance blaming the costly war with Iran for Republicans’ midterm elections drubbing last week.

Trump’s comments marked a shift in tone after he suggested in recent weeks that Iran would be more willing to strike a deal after the US elections.

“We don’t need a deal with Iran. Those days have long since passed. We’ve got their money, hundreds of billions of dollars, and we’ve got their Strait!” Trump wrote on social media, referring to the Strait of Hormuz, the critical shipping route.

Trump asked Vance to focus on a domestic issue the president previously put in his portfolio: targeting alleged fraud in Democratic-run cities and states.

“Our budget could be quickly balanced with the correction of this large-scale criminal activity. Corruption is in the Democrat leadership’s blood!” Trump wrote. Vance’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Vance, a leading contender for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination, distanced himself from the war last week after his party’s midterm rout by Democrats.

Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that diplomacy should resume “without further delay” to end the US-Iran war. Erdogan met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of a UN climate conference in Antalya, Turkiye.

Erdogan underscored the importance of returning to the negotiating table and said Turkiye would continue supporting peace efforts.

“Common ground for agreement must be strengthened and diplomacy given a chance,” Erdogan said, expressing hope the conflict would end soon.

The Middle East war began on Feb 28 with US-Israeli strikes that assassinated Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran responded by launching missiles and drones across the region.

Addressing the climate summit on Wednesday, Pezeshkian accused the US and Israel of inflicting severe environmental damage during the attacks.

Continuous diplomatic efforts by Qatar and Pakistan have sought to negotiate an end to the war.

Published in Dawn, November 13th, 2026