Qatari Mediators Talk for Over 12 Hours in Tehran as Push to Restart U.S.-Iran Talks Moves to Doha
TEHRAN — Qatari mediators held more than 12 hours of talks in Tehran on Friday in an effort to secure steps that could restart direct negotiations between Washington and Tehran, diplomatic sources said, according to Axios. The discussions were expected to continue in Doha, the Qatari capital, on Saturday. A diplomatic source said Qatar was in regular contact with the White House during Friday's talks, adding that there had been "positive progress" but that discussions were ongoing.
The mediators are seeking a set of reciprocal steps, carried out over several days, to bring the two sides back to direct talks on Iran's nuclear programme and other issues, the source said. A U.S. official said Qatar is also urging Iran to permit United Nations inspectors to visit nuclear sites damaged in strikes, as a confidence-building measure that could be met with some sanctions relief.
The effort has been held up by competing demands. The Trump administration wants Iran to make nuclear concessions before talks resume, while Tehran has called for Washington to lift its naval blockade, release frozen funds and allow Iranian oil sales, the U.S. official said.
President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday that Iran wanted to talk. "There are talks. They want to talk. They keep talking," he said. "We have time, frankly. It's a war, but it is not a typical war." He said Iran was in a lot of trouble, struggling to pay its soldiers and police, and that the United States was spending relatively little money on the campaign. Earlier on Friday, he told Kansas City radio station KCMO that the conflict would be "wrapped up soon" and that any settlement would require a guarantee that Tehran never acquires a nuclear weapon.
There are differing views within Trump's inner circle. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are sceptical that an agreement can be reached with Iran's current leadership, while Vice President JD Vance and Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner favour resuming negotiations, one official said. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who is leading a U.S. economic pressure campaign against Iran, has urged Trump to give the initiative time to work rather than rush back into combat. Regional countries including Egypt, Turkey, Iraq, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have also urged Tehran to resume negotiations before the U.S. midterm elections, a regional source said; Saudi and Turkish leaders have urged Trump to allow more time for diplomacy, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has lobbied for a joint operation against Iran after the election, according to the report. One U.S. official said Trump might be more inclined to order a major military operation if Republicans suffer heavy losses in the elections; a White House official said the results would not affect the president's decision-making on Iran.
Trump's White House remarks came at the same appearance at which he welcomed home Stephen Hubbard, the American teacher released from Russian custody, where the Iran negotiations were one item in a question-and-answer session.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：卡塔尔首都多哈的 West Bay 天际线，美伊谈判斡旋周六将在多哈续谈。Zairon，CC BY 4.0，经维基共享资源。 / The West Bay skyline of Doha, Qatar, where the mediation talks are set to continue on Saturday. By Zairon, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
