On two occasions, in June of 2025 and again on Feb. 28 of this year, the US and/or Israel attacked Iran while negotiations supposedly aimed at avoiding war were underway. Vice President JD Vance’s remarks on Oct. 29, claiming to rule out the prospect of an endless war in Iran, should be seen in that light. “There’s a lot more we need to work on, but the one thing I’ll tell you is, if you’re worried about another forever war, Donald Trump is never going to let this be a forever war,” Vance told Fox News. He pointed to the difference between criticizing foreign military misadventures and “saying that you can never ever use the American military.”

“He’s going to accomplish America’s objectives, and then we’re going to focus on the other things that we’re doing,” Vance added.

Meanwhile, Pakistani military spokesman Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry expressed “cautious optimism” about the mediation process in an interview with Reuters. “Why would the Field Marshal be going twice if it is not for some positivity? So yes, of course,” he said when asked whether Asim Munir’s trips to Tehran twice in a week’s time were a positive sign. “The word that we would use is always cautiously optimistic….”

At the same time, the US war build-up continues. The US has reportedly transferred 10 military cargo aircraft to Israeli air bases in the southern Negev region while additional US military planes were reportedly dispatched to bases in Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The Wall Street Journal had earlier reported that the U.S. would be deploying a Patriot missile battery to Israel.