US President Donald Trump is set to meet Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani at the White House on Monday, according to the White House schedule. The meeting will be held behind closed doors, as efforts to end the conflict with Iran run into serious obstacles. One of those is a reported pause in mediators’ work following the US midterm elections.
US Vice President JD Vance is also scheduled to see the Qatari leader, a US official said. Qatar, together with Pakistan, has acted as a go-between for Washington and Tehran, passing along proposals and trying to narrow gaps over Iran’s nuclear programme and the conditions for ending the fighting.
Tehran says mediation has been halted
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Sunday that the US midterm results had stalled mediators’ efforts to bring Tehran and Washington into talks. Speaking to Iranian state television, he said Iran would have to wait for mediators to restart the process.
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In a post on X on Monday, Araqchi said most Americans were “disgusted with Israel” and weary of what he called Israel pulling successive US administrations into “Forever Wars”. He added that the wider region was also tired of the situation. Democrats won majorities in both chambers of Congress in Tuesday’s elections.
Washington cites slow progress and warns of new strikes
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday that negotiations with Iran had made little progress and that he did not expect a breakthrough soon. Speaking before leaving Florida for a G7 foreign ministers’ meeting in Paris, he said Trump preferred a diplomatic solution but called Iran’s demands “unacceptable”.
Rubio also described some of Tehran’s demands as “outrageous and ridiculous, and really not realistic”. Trump said on Sunday that he was highly unlikely to order fresh strikes if talks advanced toward a strong agreement. He cautioned, however, that the United States had identified additional infrastructure targets, including bridges, should military action resume.
Trump maintains blockade pressure on Iran
In a separate statement on Truth Social, Trump said Task Force Iron Gate was in full force and effect in Iran. “Coupled with history’s greatest Naval Blockade, very little gets into, or out of, Iran!” he said. The statement came as Washington kept up pressure on Tehran while the diplomatic effort remained uncertain.
