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In this week’s MBN Agenda: President Donald Trump meets Qatar’s prime minister as diplomatic efforts to end the Iran war continue, even as Washington expands its military and economic pressure on Tehran. A proposed deal could reopen the Strait of Hormuz within days, but major disagreements over Iran’s nuclear program remain unresolved.
Also this week: Trump weighs his next move on Iran after Republican midterm losses, Abdul El-Sayed becomes the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate, and Israel faces a $10 billion funding gap following Trump’s reported decision to end military aid to Jerusalem. Plus, an MBN exclusive reveals Iran has nominated a Revolutionary Guard commander as its ambassador to Iraq, and former U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker discusses the limits of military power and prospects for peace in the Middle East.
Hamza Al Soud and Leila Bazzi contributed to this week’s Agenda.
Washington Signals
Trump Pursues Iran Talks as Military Pressure Mounts
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with Qatar’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani during a meeting onboard Air Force One during its refueling stop at Al Udeid Air Base near Doha, Qatar, October 25, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
President Donald Trump met Qatar’s prime minister for 45 minutes behind closed doors Monday, as Washington pursues indirect diplomacy with Tehran while maintaining preparations for possible renewed strikes. Mediators have been discussing a proposal that could reopen the Strait of Hormuz within two days, potentially involving U.S. sanctions relief and renewed nuclear inspections.
But Secretary of State Marco Rubio cautioned that negotiations had made little progress. “The president would always prefer to solve this and every problem diplomatically,” he said Sunday. “Sometimes that’s not possible, unfortunately.”
Washington is also expanding its pressure campaign. U.S. Central Command announced a new task force, Iron Gate, to disrupt Iranian weapons supplies and trade through its land borders and the Caspian Sea, extending U.S. efforts beyond a naval blockade. European and regional governments, meanwhile, are pressing for continued negotiations to prevent another escalation.
Quote of the Day
We should … prepare for a long period of uncertainty in which neither a decisive resolution nor stable regional order can be taken for granted.
— Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, speaking at the Abu Dhabi Strategic Debate on Monday.
Iran War Watch
Trump Weighs Iran War Electoral Fallout
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks, while standing behind protective glass, during the Steel Across America event featuring a 21-foot steel beam recovered from the World Trade Centre South Tower, on the Ellipse near the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., September 8, 2026. REUTERS/Nathan Howard/File Photo
President Donald Trump acknowledged that the Iran war contributed to Republican losses in last week’s midterm elections but defended his decision to launch the war as “the right thing.”
Vice President JD Vance declared plainly: “The reason we lost is the war.” But Trump has kept open the possibility of further strikes as Gulf governments press for diplomacy and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly urges renewed military action. Attacks on shipping near the Strait of Hormuz have added to concerns about another escalation.
While the Qatari mediators try to bridge the divide, disagreements persist over sanctions relief, the American naval blockade of Iran and Tehran’s nuclear program. Iranian leaders want U.S. concessions before reopening Hormuz, but Washington does not want to yield so easily on securing nuclear concessions from Iran.
Senate Watch
El-Sayed Becomes First Muslim Elected to Senate
Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, reacts after winning the midterm election in Detroit, Michigan. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
Abdul El-Sayed made history as the first American Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate, defeating Republican Mike Rogers in a high-profile race in Michigan. The Egyptian-American physician and former Detroit health director joins a new Democratic majority in Congress after campaigning on living costs and health care access.
His campaign also exposed deep divisions within the Democratic Party over aid to Israel. El-Sayed supports ending American military assistance, a position that drew criticism from some Jewish voters and fellow Democrats. Just two days before the election, Rep. Haley Stevens, whom El-Sayed had defeated in the Democratic primary, endorsed Rogers instead.
“Winning a single Senate seat was never the goal in itself,” El-Sayed told supporters in his victory speech. “The goal is to use that seat to transform the way we approach politics.” The incoming senator’s win will add a prominent new voice to congressional debates over American policy toward Israel.
Israel Watch
Trump’s Aid Decision Leaves Israel Facing $10B Gap
U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hold a press conference after meeting at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., December 29, 2025. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
Trump’s plan to end nearly $4 billion in annual U.S. military assistance to Israel by the end of 2026 has raised questions about how Israel will pay for weapons already ordered. A State Department document cited by the Wall Street Journal estimated that about $10 billion in more funding is needed to cover outstanding arms purchases, including fighter jets and other military equipment.
The announcement also leaves uncertain the fate of U.S. aid pledged through 2028 under a $38 billion agreement signed in 2016. Former Israeli military intelligence chief Amos Yadlin told MBN that changing the funding arrangement was not inherently problematic for Jerusalem, but warned that any transition would need to be gradual and carefully planned out.
MBN Exclusive
Iran Nominates Revolutionary Guard Commander as Baghdad Envoy
The Iranian Embassy building in Baghdad, July 9, 2009. REUTERS.
Iran has nominated a senior commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to serve as ambassador to Iraq, an Iraqi Foreign Ministry source told MBN on Monday. Brig. Gen. Abdolreza Meskarian, a commander in the elite Quds Force, would replace Mohammad Kazem al-Sadeq, who has served in Baghdad since 2022. Neither government has officially announced the appointment.
Meskarian heads the IRGC’s Ramadan Headquarters, which oversees Iran-backed armed groups in Iraq. His responsibilities have included coordinating with Iraqi Shiite factions and managing security relations with Iraqi Kurdistan. Iran has previously appointed senior Revolutionary Guard figures as ambassadors to Baghdad.
Washington, which considers the IRGC to be a terrorist group, has been dialing up pressure on Baghdad to curb Iranian influence and disarm domestic armed groups linked to Tehran. Bilateral relations between Iraq and Iran have also been strained by the closure of border crossings, particularly al-Shaib, which Iraqi authorities shut in October.
Featured Conversation
The Limits of Military Power
Ryan Crocker, former U.S. ambassador to six countries in the Middle East and South Asia and chair of MBN’s board of directors, spoke with MBN Editor-in-Chief Leila Bazzi about the Iran war, reopening the Strait of Hormuz, the Houthis in Yemen and prospects for disarming Hezbollah.
On the decisions facing the new Congress: “If, for example, they vote to withhold funding for the war, that is going to precipitate a crisis domestically, and it would also run the risk of handing Iran an absolute victory.”
On the tough choices facing Trump: He may have “to basically acknowledge that the war was a mistake in the first place. That would be hard for him, but the midterms were even harder.”
On the risks of military strikes: “We may get a truce, we may get a ceasefire, but we’re not going to get an end to this war.”
On regional cooperation: “There is no amount of American urging or American pressure that is going to overcome the differences among Gulf states.”
