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Qatar stated Tuesday that there is progress in negotiations to resolve the crisis between the United States and Iran, with both sides responding positively to its mediation, as Tehran urged Washington to meet the conditions of its two-day proposal.
"There is progress in the negotiations. Our mediation efforts between the U.S. and Iran are continuing, and we are receiving positive responses from both sides regarding a diplomatic solution. Intense efforts are being made to bring the parties’ views closer," Ibrahim bin Sultan al-Hashimi, director of the Qatari Foreign Ministry’s media and communications department, told a press briefing in Doha.
"We are trying not to leave any door that could open toward a peaceful solution untried, however complex the circumstances," he said, adding, "We remain hopeful."
Hashimi said Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani’s meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday went very positively and was important for advancing the diplomatic process. The meeting followed regional contacts, he said.
"Pleased to meet with the U.S. president and vice president in Washington, where we discussed the situation in the region and ways to make progress in U.S.-Iran negotiations," Al Thani wrote on X.
Asked how close a deal is, Hashimi said Qatar could not assess at this stage how near or far an agreement is. He declined to comment on Iran’s two-day proposal or the possibility of face-to-face talks until the outlines of an agreement become clear.
"We are working tirelessly to end the state of uncertainty, which can be described as neither war nor peace, in the crisis between Washington and Tehran," Hashimi said, adding that a comprehensive agreement would contribute to regional security and stability.
"With winter approaching, the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz is multiplying the cost of the crisis between Washington and Tehran," he said.
"The continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz increases the economic burden on the world’s countries, especially vulnerable societies," the Qatari official noted.
Hashimi also condemned Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia by stating, "Qatar condemns the attacks on Saudi Arabia and supports all measures taken by the Riyadh administration to protect its security."
He said Qatar has delivered emergency aid to more than 19 camps in Gaza sheltering displaced Palestinians affected by heavy rain.
"The conflict with Iran will not be resolved through military means, nor by intensifying sanctions," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told IRNA.
"The only solution is to adopt a language of respect, engage in diplomacy, and address Iran’s demands and conditions, which were outlined in the two-day proposal and remain on the table," the top Iranian diplomat noted.
An unnamed Iranian official told Fars that reports of talks to reopen Hormuz in exchange for releasing $8 billion in frozen assets were false, saying Tehran would engage only within seven conditions conveyed to Washington, including lifting the naval blockade and sanctions, safe passage through the strait, releasing frozen assets and ending the war.
Security chief Mohsen Rezaei wrote: "FOLD YOUR HAND. STOP manufacturing FAKE NEWS about imaginary talks."
Iranian analyst Ali Bigdeli of Shahid Beheshti University told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that the U.S. election outcome appeared to have "somewhat reduced Iran’s flexibility, whereas the Americans have become more flexible," adding that direct talks could bear results despite "a deep state of mutual distrust."
Trump said Monday he saw "positive momentum toward an end to this Conflict," calling further strikes "quite unlikely" because Gulf allies "would prefer the status quo."
UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash warned of "a long period of uncertainty."
The war began with U.S.-Israeli strikes on Feb. 28 that killed Iran’s then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. A ceasefire reached in April collapsed as fighting resumed in July, as Qatar now pushes U.S.-Iran talks forward.
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