Qatari mediators have handed Iran a fresh draft agreement aimed at ending the conflict with the United States and Israel, according to an official briefed on the talks who is not Iranian. A senior Iranian official, however, said Doha had only put forward “unacceptable ideas and not an offer.”
The briefed official said the proposal was presented on Sunday and is being weighed in Tehran, with a reply expected by the end of the week. Qatar and Pakistan have led mediation in the eight-month-old war, which has disrupted global shipping and oil supplies and has recently spread to Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
Seven-day timeline and proposed guarantors
The Qatari plan sets out a seven-day timeline meant to address concerns raised by both Tehran and Washington. Each side would take daily steps to build confidence, the official said. The timeline could begin early next week, and several countries would act as guarantors of the deal.
Also read: Qatari mediators in Tehran as US-backed effort to ease tensions
The Iranian official involved in the talks said Tehran’s position on the nuclear issue had not shifted and that it would show no flexibility there. Washington wants Iran’s long-running nuclear programme included in negotiations from the outset. Tehran says its conditions must be met first, including an end to the US blockade of Iranian ports and the lifting of sanctions on Iranian oil exports. Iran rejects Western concerns that its nuclear programme has military aims.
Earlier Iranian proposal and US rejection
In late September, Iran put forward its own seven-day proposal. Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important energy shipping channels, could reopen if certain conditions were met. US President Donald Trump rejected that plan, which prompted further Qatari mediation.
The briefed official said Sunday’s draft differs from the earlier proposal, though its details were not immediately clear. The official also said the Qatari mediators had coordinated with Washington before travelling to Tehran. Earlier mediation had produced an interim peace agreement in June, but it quickly unravelled after the US and Israel launched the war on February 28.
Houthi attacks on Saudi oil and fears of new strikes
In recent weeks, Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi forces have carried out repeated attacks on Saudi Arabia, a key US ally and the world’s largest crude exporter, opening a new front in the war. Oil prices rose more than 1 per cent to above $115 per barrel on Wednesday after a Houthi attack on Ras Tanura, Saudi Arabia’s largest oil refinery, raised supply concerns. Fighting intensified last month as the militants advanced towards the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
The official said there were concerns before Sunday’s meeting that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is seeking another term in a general election, could resume attacks on Iran this week. On Friday, Trump repeated threats to strike Iran again. Iranian security officials said Tehran had drawn up detailed plans to attack Gulf undersea cables if the US and Israel resumed attacks.
On Monday, top officials from Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan met Iranian officials in Tehran as part of de-escalation efforts. On Tuesday, Qatar said Iran needs to stop threatening Arab Gulf states and reopen the Strait of Hormuz to show good intentions. Gulf states were under sustained bombardment earlier in the war, which also reignited fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah. The conflict has also eroded Trump’s approval ratings ahead of the US midterm elections, which will decide control of Congress.
