Iranupdated 1h ago3 min read
Qatari Mediators Hold 12-Hour Talks In Tehran To Restart U.S.-Iran Negotiations
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Qatari mediators arrived in Tehran to revive US-Iran ceasefire talks. Talks lasted over 12 hours, aiming to restart direct US-Iran negotiations before midterms.
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Tehran talks, Doha next
Qatari mediators held talks in Tehran for more than 12 hours on Friday to restart direct negotiations between the United States and Iran and avert a war after the midterms, according to diplomatic sources.
The talks were scheduled to continue in Doha, Qatar, on Saturday, as a diplomatic source said, "Positive progress has been made, and the talks are still ongoing in an effort to reach an agreement between the United States and Iran."
A U.S. official said two conflicting demands blocked the talks so far, with the Trump administration insisting on offering Iran nuclear concessions while Iran demanded the United States lift its naval blockade first, release frozen funds, and permit it to sell oil.
The Qataris also pushed for United Nations inspectors to visit Iran's nuclear sites that were bombed, with the United States responding by easing some sanctions.
Trump told reporters on Friday, "There are talks. They want to talk. They keep talking... We have time, frankly. It is a war, but not a conventional war."
Competing views inside Trump
Defense Secretary بيت هيغسيث and Secretary of State مارکو روبيو doubted the possibility of reaching a nuclear agreement with the current Iranian regime, according to an American official.
The official said the two believed Trump's legacy should be to weaken the Iranian regime further, including through additional strikes, while Vice President جي دي فانس and envoys ستيف ويتكوف and جاريد كوشنر wanted to resume negotiations.
A White House official said the election results will not be a factor in Trump's decisions regarding Iran, even as another U.S. official said Trump might order a major military operation if Republicans lose badly in the midterms.
The U.S. Treasury Secretary سكوت بيسنت urged Trump to let an economic pressure campaign called "Operation Economic Outcast" proceed rather than rush back into combat.
Axios reported that Israeli Prime Minister بنيامين نتنياهو was pressuring Trump to launch a joint operation against Iran immediately after the election.
Shipping lanes and escalation risk
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said a supertanker carrying more than 2 million barrels of oil struck a naval mine and caught fire while using an unauthorized route in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iranian state media reported by CBS News.
U.S. Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper renewed his insistence that Iran's navy has been destroyed and southern shipping lanes through the Strait of Hormuz are safe and open, while Iran claimed six commercial vessels hit sea mines on that southern route in the past couple days.
President Trump said Friday that the war with Iran is "going to end soon," as Qatari mediators returned to Tehran to push for a peace deal being haggled over by Iran and the U.S.
Arab News said Trump believed the war would end soon despite reports that the U.S. and Israel were planning a fresh round of strikes, and it quoted Trump saying, "It's going to get wrapped up soon,".
The sources also described a continuing diplomatic push, with a Qatari delegation arriving in Tehran for talks with Iranian officials after Iran said it received a letter from U.S. Vice President JD Vance addressed to Mohsen Rezaei.