Qatari mediators return to Tehran in fresh push for a US-Iran deal
Qatari mediators returned to Tehran on Friday as part of efforts coordinated with Washington to reach a deal between the United States and Iran, an official briefed on the talks told Reuters, even as Tehran insists on its seven conditions first.
Qatari mediators returned to Tehran on Friday as part of efforts to reach a deal between the United States and Iran, an official briefed on the negotiations told Reuters, in the latest sign that diplomacy is still moving even as military threats continue to hang over the region.
The mediation talks have been coordinated with the United States, the official said. Qatar presented a draft peace plan to Iran on Sunday, but a senior Iranian official dismissed the proposals as unacceptable and said Tehran would maintain its nuclear position, setting up the difficult round now under way.
The core disagreement has barely moved. Washington wants nuclear issues included from the start of negotiations. Tehran demands that the US first end its port blockade and lift oil export sanctions — two of the conditions at the heart of its stance.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Wednesday that Tehran remained in close contact with intermediaries to review ideas that could ensure the implementation of its own seven-day proposal aimed at ending the war in the Middle East. That plan, he said, could reopen the Strait of Hormuz within a week if the conditions are met.
Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf reinforced the message on Thursday, saying Iran has communicated its seven conditions to mediators and is not about to relinquish them. The speaker’s remarks were widely read as a warning that Tehran will not trade away its position for the sake of a quick announcement.
On the American side, the messaging has been mixed. US envoy to Turkiye Tom Barrack said late on Thursday that diplomatic efforts are “very close” to agreeing on a process of de-escalation, but added that further US military action remains possible. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Vice President JD Vance’s outreach to Iran concerned medical supplies, after US media reports linked it to efforts to revive peace talks.
The backdrop to the talks is a war that began on February 28 with US and Israeli strikes on Iran, and a waterway in turmoil. Iran has severely restricted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of global oil consumption normally passes, and this week claimed tankers caught fire after hitting mines, while the US military says it has cleared key routes.
The stakes for the wider region are high. Saudi Arabia has urged Washington to give diplomacy more time before any new strikes, and Gulf states have been told by US officials to prepare for a possible short but intense military campaign after the US midterm elections, according to the Wall Street Journal. At the same time, Houthi missile attacks on Saudi Arabia this week have underlined how quickly the conflict can widen.
Qatar’s role is not new: Doha has repeatedly acted as a go-between for Washington and Tehran, and its mediators’ return to the Iranian capital suggests the channel remains open even after Tehran’s rejection of the draft plan. Mediators often return with revised ideas rather than a final text, and Friday’s visit fits that pattern.
What happens next will likely turn on whether either side moves on sequencing — nuclear talks first, or sanctions relief first. If the Qatari channel produces a compromise on the order of steps, a timeout or de-escalation process could follow quickly. If not, the diplomatic track risks stalling just as military preparations continue, and the region could face another round of escalation.
For now, the talks continue behind closed doors, with no public timetable for an agreement. The return of the mediators to Tehran is itself the development: after a week of strikes, tanker incidents and public warnings, both sides are still talking — and Qatar remains the bridge between them.
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