Is President Trump About to Double Down on War in Iran? (Redacted News Video)

In this 7 November 2026 Redacted News published video, host Clayton Morris talks with retired Army Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, former chief of staff to Colin Powell, who talks with us about the escalating threat of direct military conflict with Iran following the election. Wilkerson assesses that there is at least a sixty percent likelihood that Iran already possesses functional nuclear weapons held in abeyance.

President Donald Trump has signaled both renewed military action and active diplomatic negotiations with Iran. Following Republican losses in the November 3, 2026 midterm elections—which President Trump acknowledged were tied to voter dissatisfaction over high fuel prices caused by the conflict—the administration has simultaneously executed limited strikes and pursued Qatari-mediated talks. 

Morris framed the post-midterm moment as a crossroads between a major military escalation and a peace agreement, citing crude oil prices approaching $100 a barrel and resulting inflation. Wilkerson joined the broadcast to discuss the threat of direct conflict. Wilkerson stated his assessment that there is at least a 60 percent likelihood that Iran already possesses functional nuclear weapons held in abeyance. 

On Friday, November 6, 2026, President Trump confirmed that U.S. forces carried out what he described as “minor strikes” against Iranian air defense systems on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz. According to a November 4, 2026 report by The New York Times which was cited by Al Jazeera, unnamed Pentagon officials stated that thousands of U.S. air and naval forces are positioned in the Middle East to resume major combat operations if ordered. Senior officials told Fox News on November 6, 2026, that Trump discussed renewing strikes with his national security team, noting that November 9 marks the start of a new moon—providing preferred dark conditions for military operations. According to The Wall Street Journal (reported November 6, 2026), Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and U.S. Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper support resuming military operations, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent favor just maintaining economic pressure through sanctions and the naval blockade. 

Speaking to reporters in West Palm Beach, Florida, on November 6, 2026, President Trump stated that Washington is actively talking with Tehran, adding, “They want to make a deal very badly,” and claiming the U.S. has made “a lot of progress”. President Trump spoke by phone with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on November 6, 2026, to discuss diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the conflict. On November 7, 2026, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari dismissed reports that talks had collapsed, stating on X that such claims serve only those seeking to prolong the war. Diplomats familiar with the talks told Bloomberg and The Times of Israel on November 6, 2026, that Iranian negotiators are reviewing Qatari proposals to curb Iran’s nuclear program and reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for U.S. sanctions relief. Vice President JD Vance and special envoy Steve Witkoff are reportedly pushing for a diplomatic resolution within the White House, according to The Wall Street Journal. 

https://youtu.be/Xokzp8GnefI