Iran doubts US deal before midterms, Bloomberg reports

Iranian officials have expressed pessimism about reaching an agreement with the US before the November 3 midterm elections, according to Bloomberg, citing sources familiar with the matter. Talks in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly last week yielded little progress, and Tehran believes conflict escalation is highly likely after the vote. Iranian officials doubt the Trump administration will honor any deal, while Washington shows similar distrust. US President Donald Trump said Monday that American representatives are in dialogue with mediators, adding "we will win" and a resolution will come "pretty quickly." A US official stated no agreement will be reached until nuclear program issues are resolved, with Trump willing to ease sanctions in exchange for concrete nuclear progress. A June memorandum of understanding on a ceasefire and Hormuz Strait shipping collapsed after two weeks, with Pakistan and Qatar serving as mediators.