US Delegation Expected in Doha After Reported Breakthrough With Iran
A Qatari newspaper says preliminary understandings cover Iran's nuclear program, shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and economic incentives, with China and Russia set to guarantee an agreement.
A US delegation is expected to join Iranian negotiators in Doha for direct talks following a breakthrough in indirect negotiations, Al Araby Al Jadeed reported on Saturday, October 31.
Citing sources close to mediation efforts led by Qatar and Pakistan, the newspaper said the sides had agreed on preliminary measures intended to reopen the negotiating process.
Doha follows a lengthy session in Tehran
Axios reported that Qatari mediators spent over 12 hours in Tehran on Friday, with further discussions scheduled in Doha on Saturday.
The intensive diplomacy follows days of public signals from Qatar that negotiations were moving forward despite the threat of further escalation.
At an October 27 briefing, Foreign Ministry official Ibrahim Al Hashemi said diplomatic messages and proposals continued to pass between Washington and Tehran through Qatar. He described the process as moving in a positive direction, while acknowledging that statements from both governments had raised the possibility of renewed escalation.
Qatar and Pakistan were working with regional and international partners to turn those exchanges into a lasting agreement, he said.
The dispute has centered on who moves first
The two sides have approached negotiations with competing conditions.
Reuters reported on Friday that Washington wanted nuclear issues addressed from the beginning. Tehran, meanwhile, demanded that the United States first end its blockade of Iranian ports and lift sanctions on oil exports.
A senior Iranian official had rejected an earlier Qatari proposal as unacceptable. Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi nevertheless said Iran remained in contact with intermediaries about implementing its own seven day proposal.
The reported preliminary understandings could provide a way to begin negotiations without first resolving every disputed issue.
Hormuz puts regional security on the agenda
The proposed discussions extend beyond Iran's nuclear activities to the security of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Qatar has publicly pressed Tehran to turn its statements about regional stability into action. At the October 27 briefing, Al Hashemi called on Iran to end threats against neighboring countries and ensure freedom of navigation through the strait.
He said mediators were seeking a settlement that would address the wider crisis and protect the security of countries across the region.
Earlier negotiations had already connected those issues. Following talks in Switzerland, Qatar and Pakistan announced working groups covering nuclear matters, sanctions, monitoring and dispute resolution. They also described a communication channel intended to prevent incidents and misunderstandings affecting commercial vessels in Hormuz.
China and Russia named as guarantors
Al Araby Al Jadeed's sources said China and Russia would guarantee an agreement, adding two outside powers to the proposed arrangement.
Those questions have featured in earlier diplomacy. The framework announced after the Switzerland talks included political oversight by a committee of senior officials and a dedicated group for monitoring and resolving disputes.
