Qatari mediators returned to Tehran on Friday as Doha pursued talks aimed at a U.S.-Iran agreement, with Reuters reporting disagreements over whether nuclear issues or sanctions should come first.
Iran’s state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) said the delegation would discuss relations between Iran and Qatar, as well as regional developments. Its notice described the group as led by a senior adviser to Qatar’s prime minister and foreign minister, but did not mention U.S. involvement or a deal. An Associated Press (AP) roundup published Friday described Qatar’s foreign minister and a senior adviser as leading the delegation, a different account of its leadership.
Reuters, citing an official briefed on the talks, reported that the mediation effort was coordinated with Washington and intended to advance an agreement between the United States and Iran. The outlet also reported that Qatar presented Iran with a draft peace plan on Sunday. A senior Iranian official dismissed the proposals as unacceptable, Reuters said.
The two sides also differed over the order of negotiations, according to Reuters. Washington wanted nuclear issues addressed at the outset, while Tehran wanted the U.S. port blockade ended and oil-export sanctions lifted first. The latest account follows Iran’s earlier dispute over a reported Qatar draft proposal.
Qatar and Pakistan helped broker a June agreement aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz to shipping, ending the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports and starting broader settlement talks, AP reported. The outlet said the arrangement collapsed after attacks resumed.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a Wednesday post on X that Tehran was reviewing with intermediaries possible ways to enact its seven-day proposal. “Iran continues to give diplomacy a chance to succeed,” he wrote.
The Federal Election Commission lists Tuesday, Nov. 3, as the next regularly scheduled U.S. federal general election. AP reported Wednesday, citing two diplomats, that President Donald Trump had not made a final decision on possible new strikes against Iran and was weighing action after the election.
