Qatar gives Iran new draft deal to end war; Tehran official says it is not an offer

Tehran, Iran. Qatari mediators have handed Iran a new draft agreement aimed at ending the war with the United States and Israel, according to an official familiar with the negotiations. A senior Iranian official involved in the talks, however, said Doha had not made a real offer.

What the draft reportedly contains

The official briefed on the talks, who is not Iranian, said the draft was delivered on Sunday and is being reviewed by Tehran. A reply is expected before the week ends. The plan sets a seven-day timetable that responds to the concerns of both Tehran and Washington, with confidence-building steps that each side must carry out every day.

Related: Qatar Presents New Draft Deal to Iran as Tehran Dismisses It as Not an Offer

RelatedQatar Presents New Draft Deal to Iran as Tehran Dismisses It as Not an Offer

According to the same official, the timetable could start early next week, and several countries would serve as guarantors. The official said the draft differs from an earlier Iranian proposal, although the specifics of the latest plan were not immediately clear. The official had earlier told Reuters that the Qatari mediators coordinated with Washington before travelling to Tehran.

Tehran’s response

A senior Iranian official involved in the talks said Qatar had put forward only “unacceptable ideas and not an offer”. The official added that Tehran’s policy of showing no flexibility on the nuclear issue has not changed.

Positions of the two sides

Washington wants Iran’s long-running nuclear programme to be part of the negotiations from the start. Iran says its own conditions must be met first, including an end to the US blockade of its ports and the lifting of sanctions on its oil exports. Iran rejects Western concerns that the programme has a military nature.

Earlier diplomacy

Qatar and Pakistan have led the mediation effort. The war, which the US and Israel launched on February 28, has disrupted global shipping and oil supplies. Earlier mediation helped produce an interim peace agreement in June, but it fell apart quickly.

In late September, Iran put forward a different seven-day proposal. Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said it would allow the Strait of Hormuz, a major global energy shipping route, to reopen if certain conditions were met. US President Donald Trump rejected it, which led to further Qatari mediation.

Conflict widens

The war has recently spread to Saudi Arabia and Yemen. In recent weeks, the Iran-aligned Houthi forces in Yemen have repeatedly attacked Saudi Arabia, a key US ally and the world’s largest crude exporter, opening a new front in the eight-month-old conflict.