“Washington has made progress in indirect peace talks with Iran” — JD Vance. Our verdict: Partly True.
JD Vance made the claim on 3 November 2026, as reported in an Al Jazeera liveblog covering the Iran war.
Our verdict
Partly True
JD Vance did say that Washington had made progress in indirect talks with Iran, and indirect talks have taken place. But we could not find independent evidence that real progress had been achieved by the time he spoke.
What we found
We rated this claim partly true. Two parts of it hold up. First, indirect talks between the United States and Iran have happened. Oman hosted a first round of indirect nuclear talks in February 2026, according to Mehr News Agency, and The Jerusalem Post reported a second round the same month. France 24 and Deutsche Welle both reported indirect talks in Doha in July 2026. Second, Vance did make the claim. Al Jazeera's liveblog from 3 November 2026 reports him saying Washington had made progress, and notes that Iranian officials said the ball was in the US court.
What we could not confirm is the progress itself. The strongest evidence of movement came from Foreign Policy in August 2026, when a Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson described the talks as being at a very progressive stage, with draft agreement language shared between the sides. That was three months before Vance spoke. We found nothing confirming that this momentum continued, or that any measurable step forward had been taken by 3 November. Al Jazeera's report gives us Vance's words, not proof that they were accurate.
The picture is further complicated by the fact that the two countries were also fighting. A Congressional Research Service report from March 2026 describes active military conflict between the US and Iran, not peace talks. That does not rule out back-channel diplomacy, but it means the claim of progress sits alongside open hostilities.
The evidence
1 of 6 sources support the claim; none contradict it.
- Background
Al Jazeera's liveblog reports that JD Vance said Washington had made progress in indirect peace talks with Iran, and that Iranian officials said the ball was in the US court to prevent war. [1]
- Background
Foreign Policy reported in August 2026 that a Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson said indirect US-Iran negotiations were at a very progressive stage, with draft agreement language circulated between the parties. [2]
- Background
The Jerusalem Post reported that the US and Iran held a second round of indirect nuclear talks in February 2026, mediated by Oman, with both sides passing positions through the Omani foreign minister. [3]
- Background
A Congressional Research Service report says that as of March 2026 the US and Iran were in active military conflict, not indirect peace talks. [4]
- Background
France 24 reported on indirect US-Iran talks in Doha and attributed a progress assessment to Donald Trump. [5]
- Supports the claim
Mehr News Agency reported that a first round of indirect US-Iran nuclear talks took place in Muscat, with Oman facilitating and meeting the delegations separately. [6]
What we could not confirm
- Whether any concrete or measurable progress had actually been made in the indirect talks by 3 November 2026, rather than just earlier in the summer.
- Whether the talks described in August 2026 were still ongoing, stalled or abandoned by the time Vance spoke.
- Whether Vance's description of progress was based on official assessments, mediator briefings or public positioning.
How we checked
We looked at news reports from Al Jazeera, Foreign Policy, The Jerusalem Post, France 24, Deutsche Welle and Mehr News Agency, plus a Congressional Research Service report, covering indirect US-Iran talks and the state of the conflict between February and November 2026. We reviewed 7 relevant sources.
Sources
- [1]www.aljazeera.com · Iranian speaker Ghalibaf says 'ball in US court' as Qeshm Island struck · November 3, 2026
- [2]foreignpolicy.com · Iran's 'Last Chance' for Peace Talks · August 4, 2026
- [3]jpost.com · US, Iran conclude second round of indirect nuclear talks | The Jerusalem Post · February 6, 2026
- [4]congress.gov · U.S. Conflict with Iran · March 26, 2026
- [5]France 24 · Iran announces end of indirect talks with US in Doha · July 1, 2026
- [6]Mehr News Agency · Oman's foreign ministry issues statement on Iran-US talks · February 6, 2026
- [7]Photo: Emily J. Higgins / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Have evidence we missed?
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