'The era of making a deal is long gone,' Trump posts on Truth Social
Vance directed to focus on Democratic corruption probe instead
Strait of Hormuz blockade to remain as economic pressure continues
Wall Street Journal calls shift 'sudden,' raising questions about military strike
![US President Donald Trump speaks at the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington on Monday. [AP]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/11/13/news-p.v1.20261110.3b79f29f6f064145b85007c390f57872_P1.jpg)
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US President Donald Trump signaled a halt to negotiations with Iran on Thursday, saying a deal is no longer necessary and directing Vice President JD Vance — who had been leading diplomatic efforts — to shift his focus elsewhere. The abrupt reversal, coming after Trump had appeared to favor a diplomatic solution over military action, has deepened uncertainty over Washington's Iran strategy.
Trump posted on his Truth Social platform Thursday that "we don't need a deal with Iran" and that "that era passed a long time ago."
He went on to say that the United States had secured "hundreds of billions of their dollars" and had taken control of the Strait of Hormuz, suggesting Washington already holds sufficient leverage through economic pressure and the maritime blockade.
Trump also effectively reassigned Vance, who had been pursuing negotiations with Tehran. Trump said he had asked the vice president to focus instead on what he described as widespread corruption and crime in Democratic-run areas.
Trump particularly singled out Minnesota, California and Illinois, calling them "corruption-riddled disasters."
He said fixing the large-scale corruption in those areas would quickly bring the federal budget into balance, and added that "corruption is in the blood of Democrat leadership."
The remarks were widely interpreted as a signal that Trump intends to abandon the talks Vance had been steering, maintain the existing maritime blockade and intensify economic pressure on Iran.
Trump's outright rejection of the need for negotiations has also drawn attention to the possibility of renewed military strikes against Iran. It remains unconfirmed, however, whether he has actually decided to halt talks or order a resumption of attacks.
Some analysts raised the possibility that Trump is deploying the dismissal of negotiations as a pressure tactic — seeking to corner Iran and secure a more favorable position in any future talks.
The Wall Street Journal described Trump's remarks as a "sudden shift in position" and said the administration's Iran strategy was becoming increasingly confused.
Earlier, Trump had repeatedly signaled ahead of the midterm elections that military strikes against Iran could follow after the vote.
More recently, however, he had appeared to downplay the likelihood of renewed airstrikes and lean toward a negotiated resolution.
Reports had also emerged that Vance was exploring a direct meeting with Iran's hardline security chief as a way to end the war.
After the Republican Party's heavy defeat in the midterms, Vance had identified the Iran war as a key factor in the loss and pushed for an end to the conflict — at times staking out a position differentiated from Trump's own.
With Trump now publicly drawing a line against negotiations and announcing Vance's reassignment, observers say a shift in the administration's Iran policy stance is all but inevitable.
Whether the United States will maintain its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and ratchet up economic pressure — or go further and resume military strikes — has emerged as a pivotal variable for the future of the Middle East.
sjy@heraldcorp.com
