Qatar sees 'progress' in US-Iran talks after White House meeting
Qatar said on Tuesday it had seen “progress” in talks between the US and Iran, stating that Doha as a key mediator was “working tirelessly to end the uncertainty over the crisis between Washington and Tehran”.The assessment came a day after Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani met US President Donald Trump at the White House.Al Hashmi said the White House meeting "was held in a positive atmosphere and was focused on making progress in the talks."“We cannot say how close or how far away an agreement is,” Ibrahim bin Sultan Al Hashmi, director of the foreign ministry’s Media and Communication Department, told a weekly briefing in Doha."We see that mediatory efforts continue, and both sides are making positive statements about a diplomatic solution," he added.He said Qatari officials had held talks in Tehran and consulted other governments in the region before Sheikh Mohammed travelled to Washington.Trump said Gulf states, including Qatar and Saudi Arabia, had urged him to hold off on fresh strikes.
He said he would do so for now but keep the US naval blockade in place.Tehran has proposed resuming talks in as little as two days if Washington halts attacks, lifts its blockade of Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz and waives some sanctions. Negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme would come later.Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei defended the proposal on Monday. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had dismissed some of Tehran’s conditions as “outrageous and ridiculous” the day before.Al Hashmi said the continued Hormuz closure would hit the most vulnerable hardest, calling for the strait — a key route for Gulf oil and liquefied natural gas exports — to reopen to shipping as soon as possible.Sheikh Mohammed joined ministers from Saudi Arabia, France, Britain, Germany and Italy in Paris on Tuesday to discuss the war on the sidelines of a G7 meeting.
Left out here: Drops what it reported before
The article says ministers met "to discuss the war" but never says how the war began. Euronews's own reports a week and two weeks earlier said it began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran in late February, and other outlets the same day said it began with the killing of Ali Khamenei. Without this, a reader of this piece does not learn that the US and Israel started the war or that Israel is a party to it.
How we know
- Euronews wrote earlier“The war began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran in late February.”Qatar urges Iran to 'show goodwill' by ending threats to the region and reopening the Strait of Hormuz (opens in a new tab)
- Euronews wrote earlier“The ongoing war began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran in late February”Qatar sees 'hope' for US-Iran deal despite fresh US strikes as mediators exchange proposals in real time (opens in a new tab)
- Le Monde (English) reported“which erupted on February 28 with the killing of Supreme Keader Ali Khamenei”Qatar PM joins G7 talks on Iran after Trump meeting, says Paris (opens in a new tab)
Left out here: Leaves out what changes the picture
The article reports Trump saying he would hold off on fresh strikes "for now", but not that Iranian authorities say strikes inside Iran are continuing, unacknowledged by the US military. A reader may take the pause on strikes as already in effect on the ground.
How we know
- Al-Monitor reported“strikes -- which have not been publicly acknowledged by the US military -- are continuing, according to Iranian authorities”Trump sees 'positive momentum' on Iran after Qatar PM talks (opens in a new tab)