Qatar says US and Iran give ‘positive responses’ to mediation efforts

Qatar's Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that it has received “positive responses” from both the United States and Iran on its mediation efforts.

Anadolu reported that the ministry stressed that efforts continue to end the state of “no war, no peace” and uncertainty in the region. “Mediation efforts between Washington and Tehran are still ongoing, and there have been positive responses from both sides,” said Ibrahim Al-Hashimi, director of the ministry's Media and Communications Department, at a press conference in Doha. Middle East Monitor carried the same account, citing Anadolu.

Kurdistan24 reported, based on statements provided to it, that the ministry said Qatar is working tirelessly to end the uncertainty of “neither peace nor war” in the US-Iran crisis. According to Kurdistan24, the ministry also called the meeting of Qatar's prime minister and foreign minister with the US president at the White House positive.

Anadolu said Al-Hashimi's remarks came a day after Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said he held “positive discussions” with US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance in Washington. “Pleased to meet with the US president and vice president in Washington, where we discussed the situation in the region and ways to make progress in US-Iran negotiations,” Sheikh Mohammed said on X on Monday. Kurdistan24 reported that he met Trump for about 45 minutes after meeting Vance. It said Trump afterward spoke of “positive momentum” toward ending the conflict, and that Axios reported Trump told the Qatari leader he would give negotiations a chance but could reverse course if Tehran does not engage seriously.

Kurdistan24 also reported that the ministry warned that the approach of winter, with the Strait of Hormuz still closed, doubles the cost of the crisis. It said the ministry condemned attacks on Saudi Arabia and renewed its support for all the measures the kingdom has taken to protect its security. Kurdistan24 noted that the statements did not say which attacks or which measures were meant.

On the Iranian side, Anadolu reported that an unnamed Iranian official told the semi-official Fars News Agency on Monday that reports of talks to reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for the release of $8 billion in frozen Iranian assets were false. The official said Tehran would engage only within the framework of seven conditions it had conveyed to Washington. According to Anadolu, they include lifting the naval blockade and unilateral sanctions, ensuring safe passage through the strait, releasing frozen Iranian assets, and ending the war.

Kurdistan24 added that Iran says it can reopen Hormuz within two days if the US meets its conditions, including ending the blockade, while Trump has said the Gulf states prefer to keep the blockade in place. Anadolu said the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran on Feb. 28, a ceasefire was reached in April, and fighting between the US and Iran resumed in July as diplomatic efforts stalled.

The news aggregator NewsCord listed Al-Jazirah Net and Bawabat Al-Shorouk among outlets carrying the Qatari remarks. It said the headlines it reviewed describe diplomatic activity but do not establish that an agreement was reached.

Background

Qatar Standard reported on 3 November that Qatar said the US and Iran were reviewing proposals presented by Doha. Majed bin Mohammed Al Ansari, Advisor to the Prime Minister and Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, made the remarks at the ministry's weekly media briefing, according to Qatar Tribune.

That report said Al Ansari told the briefing that Qatar was not seeking to predict the outcome of any mediation initiative and that the decision remained with the parties concerned. Qatar Tribune also reported that he warned any further escalation between Iran and the United States would pose a danger to the peoples of the region and would affect the negotiations.