Qatari mediators are working to prevent military conflict between Iran and the United States with a preliminary agreement after 12 hours of negotiations in Tehran. The goal of these efforts is to reach an agreement to prevent war following the U.S. midterm elections.
Continued Negotiations in Doha
The negotiations are set to continue on Saturday in Doha, the capital of Qatar. These diplomatic moves come as the United States is only days away from the potential start of a military operation against Iran. An operation that, according to American sources, could cause extensive damage to Iran and, in turn, provoke retaliatory attacks from Iran against Israel and Gulf countries.
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Disagreement Over Preconditions
A diplomatic source told Axios that Qatari mediators have been in regular contact with the White House during Friday's negotiations and that positive progress has been made in the talks. Qatar is trying to get Tehran and Washington to agree on a set of reciprocal actions. However, disagreements over the preconditions for negotiations remain. The Trump administration wants Iran to make concessions regarding its nuclear program before negotiations resume, while Iran insists that the U.S. must first lift the maritime blockade.
In this context, Qatari mediators are trying to convince Iran to accept UN inspectors' visits to the bombed nuclear facilities. This action could be seen as a sign of goodwill, and in return, the U.S. might reduce some sanctions.
Within the U.S. government, there are also differing opinions on how to deal with Iran. Some officials, like Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, are very pessimistic about the possibility of reaching a nuclear agreement with Iran, while others prefer to resume negotiations.
In this situation, Qatar's diplomatic efforts and regional countries' calls to prevent escalating tensions indicate that the path of diplomacy remains open. However, disagreements over negotiation preconditions and political and regional pressures have made reaching an agreement difficult.
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