Qatar Works on Interim U.S.-Iran Deal
Qatar said it is pressing for a first-step agreement between Washington and Tehran after three hours of talks in Iran, as a Qatari newspaper reported that the United States had accepted the mediators' draft and an Indian sailor was killed in an attack off Oman.
A U.S. Navy destroyer moves through the hazy Strait of Hormuz, May 2020.Illustration by The Good Times, based on a photo by Cpl. Gary Jayne III / U.S. Marine Corps (public domain)
Qatar is working toward an interim agreement between the United States and Iran that would build confidence and open the way to a fuller settlement, Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said at his weekly briefing in Doha. A Qatari delegation returned from Tehran after talks that ran more than three hours instead of the scheduled one, and both governments are reviewing the mediators' proposals, he said, but there is no breakthrough. "Bridging the gap is still a work in progress," he said. The Qatari newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, citing sources close to the mediators, reported that Washington had approved the draft memorandum and that Iran would announce a concession on its nuclear program at the same moment the United States announced the release of part of Iran's frozen assets. Neither government confirmed that, and a senior Iranian official told Reuters the two sides were still far apart. Near Oman, an Indian-flagged cargo vessel was struck by an unidentified aerial object, killing one of its 14 Indian crew. Nothing has been signed.
Al-Ansari said Qatar is seeking an interim agreement with confidence-building measures, part of a phased process in which both sides would show their commitment by carrying out agreed steps before further negotiations. He said the delegation's meeting in Tehran on Monday evening had been planned for one hour and lasted more than three. "What we can see from the meetings of yesterday and the phone calls is that there is still a commitment to the negotiation process," he said. Qatar is working in coordination with Pakistan and the Gulf Cooperation Council states.
He cautioned that continued talks should not be read as a breakthrough and that no concrete progress could yet be announced.
Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported that the United States had approved the draft memorandum of understanding the mediators presented to Iran, and that the mediators briefed Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which also approved it. Under the arrangement it described, Iran would announce a concession on its nuclear program and the United States would announce the release of part of Iran's frozen assets, with both announcements made at the same time and followed by renewed negotiations. The report has not been confirmed by the White House, the State Department or Iran's government.
A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Tehran and Washington were still far from a deal and that Iran would not accept what he called excessive U.S. demands. Iran's armed forces chief, Ali Abdollahi, listed conditions for lasting security that include an end to fighting on all fronts, the lifting of sanctions and release of frozen assets, war reparations and recognition of Iranian authority over the Strait of Hormuz, Iran International reported. Iran has proposed reopening the strait within two days of an agreement, leaving nuclear issues to a second phase.
The Indian-flagged cargo vessel Al Jusufi, carrying 14 Indian seafarers, was struck by an unidentified aerial object near Limah, on the coast of Oman, India's shipping minister, Sarbananda Sonowal, said. Gandhar Nahim Ajij, a sailor from Gujarat, died of his injuries, and Oman's coast guard rescued the other 13. India's Ministry of External Affairs condemned the attack and called for free navigation through the region's waterways to be restored. The British military's maritime agency, UKMTO, told ships to transit with caution.
The attack came after U.S. forces struck an Iranian missile launcher on Qeshm Island, which U.S. officials called a limited, defensive response to a missile fired at a U.S. aircraft.
Nothing has been signed, and neither Washington nor Tehran has announced any step. The Strait of Hormuz remains closed to traffic Iran has not authorized, and the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports remains in place. Brent crude settled at $103.60, its lowest close since October 7.