DOHA — Iranian negotiators have left talks with Qatari mediators aimed at ending the war with the United States, and a draft proposal for a deal is being circulated, an official briefed on the talks said on Monday, according to Reuters.
The negotiators departed Doha on Sunday, though not because of difficulties in the negotiations, the official said. A follow-up meeting is possible. The official gave no details of the draft proposal, and that part of this report rests on that single unnamed official.
The basis of the talks is a seven-step plan Iran drew up in September to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the U.S. naval blockade of Iran, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday. He said Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi had been in Doha to facilitate the exchange of messages with Washington through Qatari intermediaries. There are no direct talks between Iran and the United States; messages pass through the mediators.
Iran now says the plan could be carried out on a faster timeline. Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Saturday, as quoted by Al Jazeera, that under a deal the Strait of Hormuz could be opened within two days rather than the seven days originally envisaged. On Monday, Araqchi described the consultations through mediators as "very intensive" but said the weekend’s talks had produced no major breakthrough, and that the outcome now depends on Washington.
Tehran’s stated position remains firm: Baghaei said no final agreement can begin, and the strait cannot be reopened or secured, unless the U.S. naval blockade is brought to an end and Iran’s demands are addressed. President Donald Trump rejected Iran’s initial proposal. The war, which began on February 28, is in its ninth month, and no ceasefire is in force.
The Doha round was the third straight day of contacts. Qatari mediators had first held discussions in Tehran on Friday, October 30, before the talks moved to Doha over the weekend, and a draft has been taking shape since Qatar presented Tehran with a proposal last week that Iranian officials initially rejected, according to reporting on the talks. The mediators are now working from the revised Iranian text rather than the earlier draft.
The diplomacy matters well beyond the region because the Strait of Hormuz is the route for a large share of the world’s oil and gas shipments, and its closure has kept pressure on energy prices; oil fell sharply on Monday as hopes of a deal rose, in trading reported earlier this week. What happens next depends on the draft now being circulated and on whether Washington answers it. For now, both the channel through Doha and Iran’s conditions remain open, and neither side has announced a deal.
