Iran disputed a report that Qatar had sent it a draft deal to end the war, while another source said Tehran was weighing it amid a dispute over when nuclear talks should begin, Reuters reported.
A senior Iranian official involved in the negotiations told Reuters that Iran’s policy of showing no flexibility on the nuclear issue remained unchanged. The official described Qatar’s ideas as “unacceptable ideas and not an offer.”
A second official briefed on the talks, whom Reuters identified as non-Iranian, said Qatar delivered a draft on Sunday, Oct. 25, and Iran was considering it. The source said the plan called for both sides to take confidence-building steps each day for a week, with several unnamed countries acting as guarantors. The source expected a response from Tehran by the end of this week but gave no specific deadline.
Qatar’s Amiri Diwan said Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in Moscow on Oct. 27. The two discussed negotiations, the Strait of Hormuz and energy supplies, the official readout said; it did not mention a draft. The Associated Press reported Oct. 26, citing an unnamed regional official, that Qatari mediators had traveled to Tehran on Sunday in coordination with the United States to support de-escalation.
The timing of nuclear talks remains a point of disagreement. Reuters reported that Washington wants nuclear issues addressed from the outset. Tehran says its conditions include ending the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports and lifting sanctions on Iranian oil exports. The conflict has disrupted global shipping and oil supplies, Reuters reported.
Mediation helped produce an interim agreement in June, Reuters reported, but it quickly unraveled. The Associated Press said Qatar and Pakistan were involved in that effort, which called for Iran to restore full shipping access through the Strait of Hormuz, end the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports and begin broader negotiations. Reuters quoted the non-Iranian official as expecting Tehran to reply before the week ends; Qatar’s public readout gave no response deadline.
