DOHA (The Thursday Times) — Qatari mediators have handed Iran a new seven-day plan to end its war with the United States and Israel, an official briefed on the talks said on Wednesday, but a senior Iranian official dismissed it as “unacceptable ideas and not an offer”.
The senior Iranian official, who is involved in the talks, said Tehran’s refusal to show any flexibility on its nuclear programme had not changed, Reuters reported. Washington wants the nuclear programme on the table from the start, while Iran says its own conditions, including an end to the US blockade of its ports and the lifting of sanctions on its oil exports, must be met first.
The other official, who is not Iranian, said the draft was presented in Tehran on Sunday and that a response was still expected by the end of the week. It lays out daily steps that each side would take to address the other’s concerns, according to the official, who was cited by Reuters. The timetable could begin early next week, with several countries acting as guarantors.
Pakistan and Qatar in the middle
Qatar has led the mediation together with Pakistan since the war began in February. Earlier efforts produced an interim agreement in June, but it quickly unravelled, and Trump rejected a separate seven-day Iranian proposal in September that offered to reopen the Strait of Hormuz on conditions. The official said the Qatari mediators had coordinated with Washington before going to Tehran. The conflict has disrupted global shipping and oil supplies and spread across the region, with Yemen’s Houthis repeatedly attacking Saudi Arabia in recent weeks.
The official said there had been concern before Sunday’s meeting that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, fighting for another term in an election still being counted, could resume strikes on Iran this week. US President Donald Trump repeated threats on Friday to hit Iran again, and Iranian security officials told Reuters that Tehran has drawn up plans to attack undersea cables in the Gulf if the US and Israel resume their strikes.
A costly stalemate
The Pentagon has now spent more than $47 billion on the war, according to internal figures reported by Reuters, and US officials say the military is preparing to resume heavy fighting if ordered after next week’s midterm elections.
