Trump to meet Qatar's prime minister as Iran diplomacy faces hurdles
President Donald Trump will meet with Qatar's prime minister at the White House on Monday, according to the White House schedule, as the conflict with Iran drags on and diplomatic efforts to end it face significant obstacles.Trump is due to meet with Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, who also serves as Qatar's foreign minister, in a closed-door meeting. Vice President JD Vance is also scheduled to meet with the Qatari leader, according to a US official.Qatar has played a central role as an intermediary between Washington and Tehran, conveying proposals and seeking to bridge differences over Iran's nuclear program and the terms for ending the conflict.Rubio says Iran talks remain stalled as Trump warns of possible further strikesSecretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday that negotiations with Iran had made little progress and that he did not see an imminent breakthrough.
Speaking before departing Florida for a G7 foreign ministers meeting in Paris, Rubio said Trump preferred a diplomatic solution but described Iran's demands as "unacceptable" and, in some cases, "outrageous and ridiculous, and really not realistic."Trump said Sunday that he was highly unlikely to order new strikes against Iran if negotiations made progress and produced a strong agreement, but warned that the United States had identified additional infrastructure targets, including bridges, should military action resume.
Left out here: Leaves out what changes the picture
The article reports Rubio calling Iran's demands "outrageous and ridiculous" but never says what they are: lifting US sanctions, releasing frozen Iranian assets, reparations and a reduced US military presence. It also omits that Iran had just sent a nuclear proposal to Washington through Qatar, the mediator Trump is meeting. Without these facts a reader takes Iran as the party blocking diplomacy with absurd terms and offering nothing, when it had put a proposal on the table through this very channel.
How we know
- The Jerusalem Post wrote earlier“Iran has sent the United States a nuclear proposal via Qatar, to be discussed only after Washington meets Tehran's seven demands”Iran sent nuclear proposal to the US via Qatar, senior Iranian official tells Reuters (opens in a new tab)
- Al Jazeera English reported“Tehran’s demands include lifting the sanctions Washington imposed on Iran after the collapse”Qatar PM to meet Trump: What’s the latest on US-Iran negotiations? (opens in a new tab)