Iran’s Top Negotiators Arrive in Qatar as Trump Signals Mixed Iran Deal Prospects

Iran’s top negotiators arrived in Qatar for talks on ending the war, with President Donald Trump giving conflicting signals about how close an agreement is, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel intends to intensify attacks against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

“President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb”

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The New York Times reported that Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf led Iran’s delegation in Doha and that the delegation also included Abbas Araghchi, while CBS News said Iran and the U.S. agreed a deal to end the war was taking shape but Iran said obstacles remain.

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Trump said he expected Iran either to turn its enriched uranium over to the United States or to destroy it in front of neutral witnesses, and Esmaeil Baghaei said Iran was not discussing details of its nuclear program.

The CBS News live updates said Iran acknowledged agreement with the U.S. on many points but stressed that the proposal under discussion does not include immediate concessions on the "nuclear issue."

NPR reported that Trump backed away from the idea that a final deal is imminent after saying the U.S. and Iran had "largely negotiated" a memorandum of understanding that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump tied any Iran deal to countries normalizing ties with Israel through the Abraham Accords, writing that it should be "mandatory" that all of these Countries, at a minimum, simultaneously, sign onto the Abraham Accords.

NPR said Trump now says Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia should agree to establish full diplomatic relations with Israel, while the Abraham Accords were first signed in 2020 during Trump’s first term.

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NBC News reported that Trump explicitly linked an Iran deal with the Abraham Accords, calling on a number of nations in the region, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt and Jordan, to join the breakthrough agreements between Israel and some of its Arab neighbors.

In response to the linkage and the pace of talks, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told reporters that "no one can claim that this means an imminent agreement is about to be signed," as NBC News and other outlets quoted.

The NPR report also said semi-official Iranian agencies accused the U.S. of "obstructionism" over the release of some frozen Iranian funds in exchange for lifting restrictions over transit through the Strait of Hormuz.

As the negotiations continued, the CBS News live updates said the agreement would commit Iran to not developing a nuclear weapon and to giving up the "nuclear dust," while leaving details on how that may happen to talks over the following 60 days.

“What to know about the Iran war today: - President Trump has said a is "largely negotiated" and that he will either sign "a great and meaningful" pact with Tehran, "or there will be no deal”

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AP reported that regional officials told it the emerging deal would end the war, reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and see Iran give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, while Trump said he told representatives "not to rush into a deal."

The AP account said Iran has 440.9 kilograms (972 pounds) of uranium enriched up to 60% purity, and it described a 60-day period in which how Iran would give up the uranium would be subject to further talks.

NBC News said Iran’s top negotiators, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, arrived in Doha, and it reported that the agreement framework would give the two sides 60 days to reach a full peace deal.

In parallel, The New York Times said the blockade has throttled global oil and gas supplies and quoted Baghaei saying, "It is true that we have reached conclusions on a large portion of the issues, but no one can claim that the signing of an agreement is imminent."