Reuters reported Monday that a draft for a possible U.S.-Iran deal was circulating, while Iran's foreign ministry spokesman said the U.S. blockade must end before a final accord or Strait of Hormuz reopening.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei described the September proposal as the basis for current exchanges and said Tehran had suggested a faster timetable for carrying it out. In Baghaei's account, Iran's demands and an end to the blockade must precede a final agreement, as well as any reopening or securing of the strait.
Baghaei said Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi was in Doha to relay communications to Washington through Qatari intermediaries.
An unnamed official briefed on the negotiations told Reuters that Iran's delegation ended its discussions with Qatari mediators in Doha on Sunday. The official said the departure did not result from problems in the negotiations, and another meeting remained possible. The official provided no details of the circulating draft.
The Doha exchanges followed more than 12 hours of Iran-Qatar consultations in Tehran on Oct. 30 and further discussions in Doha, EconoTimes previously reported.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Al Jazeera on Saturday that Tehran had proposed implementing its plan in two days under a deal that met Iran's demands, instead of the seven-day period initially envisaged. That timetable was a proposal, not an agreed reopening date.
Reuters also reported that President Donald Trump rejected Iran's initial proposal. The talks are taking place before the U.S. midterm elections Tuesday, Nov. 3. Trump said the United States would avoid new strikes on Iran before the vote, called discussions productive and left further military action as an option.
