Qatar Says US, Iran Gave Positive Responses to Ongoing Mediation Efforts

Qatar cites positive replies

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said it received “positive responses” from both the US and Iran regarding ongoing mediation efforts between the two sides, as Ibrahim Al-Hashimi told a press conference in Doha that “Mediation efforts between Washington and Tehran are still ongoing.” Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said he held “positive discussions” with US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance in Washington on reaching an agreement and bringing peace to the region. An unnamed Iranian official told Fars News Agency that reports of talks to reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for the release of $8 billion in frozen Iranian assets were false, and the official said Tehran would engage only within seven conditions conveyed to Washington.

Qatar cites positive replies4 of 7 outlets reported it · not in Mehr News Agency and 2 more▾

The accounts placed the dispute over the Strait of Hormuz and frozen assets alongside a wider “no war, no peace” framing, with Qatar saying mediators are working to end uncertainty in the region. Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei posted that the US should “stop manufacturing fake news about imaginary talks” and said it was “time to surrender to the seven conditions Iran has repeatedly set out.”

Reporting for this sectionAnadolu AjansıThe Jerusalem Post

Strait closure and conditions

Qatar’s foreign ministry said diplomacy would persist despite reports of an imminent strike, and Ibrahim bin Sultan Al-Hashmi told a press conference that “Diplomacy is ongoing and will continue, and we will not lose hope.” Al-Hashimi said Qatar could not say whether an agreement was near or far, while he warned that the approaching winter and the strait’s continued closure were raising the costs of the crisis worldwide. Iran’s position, as described in the sources, tied any reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to conditions that included lifting the naval blockade and unilateral sanctions, ensuring safe passage through the strait, releasing frozen Iranian assets, and ending the war.

No timing given2 of 6 outlets reported it · not in Anadolu Ajansı and 3 more▾

The Jerusalem Post reported that Trump told Reuters he was content with the US naval blockade against Iran in the Strait of Hormuz and said “We’re ready to go anytime we want” with strikes if necessary. The Hill reported that Trump downplayed the chance of fresh military action targeting Iran while also saying the US was keeping its wartime position in the Middle East to defend Arab and Gulf partners, and it quoted Trump saying “We have the greatest military blockade ever.”

Reporting for this sectionArab NewsThe Hill

Talks, threats, and next steps

Al Jazeera reported that Trump said the US-Israel war on Iran was “effectively” at an end militarily after meeting Qatar’s prime minister in Washington, DC, adding “We’re just keeping it the status quo.”

Al Jazeera said Trump described the status quo as continuing the US naval blockade against Iranian ports and the newly announced Task Force Iron Gate, which seeks to cut off trade by land and through the Caspian Sea.

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei dismissed Trump’s remarks as a distraction, writing “FOLD YOUR HAND. STOP manufacturing FAKE NEWS about imaginary talks.”

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei called for an end to the situation described as “neither war nor peace,” and Pezeshkian said Iran was open to further negotiations but would not be coerced.

NBC News reported that Secretary of State Marco Rubio described Tehran’s conditions as “outrageous and ridiculous and really not realistic,” while the same report said Trump told CNN it was “highly unlikely it’s going to be necessary” to resume strikes if the US sees progress and a strong agreement is signed.

Reporting for this sectionAl JazeeraNBC News