Gulf officials braced for worst as Iran strait talks stall
Doha mediators work to compress a two-day timeline for lifting sanctions and reopening the waterway, even as missile strikes and conflicting statements from Washington and Tehran complicate efforts ahead of US midterms.
By Tunde Bailey ·
Gulf state officials are preparing for a potential escalation while waiting for the United States to respond to an Iranian proposal that would reopen the strait of Hormuz before Tuesday’s US midterm elections. The proposal emerged from indirect talks in Doha, which entered their third day on Sunday.
Qatarian mediators are attempting to finalize a deal that would release more than $6 billion in Iranian assets. This release is intended to trigger the reopening of the strait and the restart of negotiations regarding Iran’s nuclear program. To overcome mutual distrust, Qatar has pushed for a compressed timeline. Iran agreed to shorten the process from seven days to two, allowing the US to lift sanctions and Iran to reopen the strait almost simultaneously.
The diplomatic efforts continued despite a physical threat to the region. On Friday, unidentified missiles struck a Qatari LNG tanker bound for Pakistan near the strait. The attack occurred hours after Tehran granted the vessel direct clearance and safe-passage approval. Anwar Gargash, the UAE envoy, stated that another round of escalation served neither Iran nor its neighbors. He noted that relations with Iran are essential because it is a neighbor, and the region does not want it caught in a prolonged crisis. Gargash added that the region remains braced for the worst.
In Washington, President Donald Trump claimed on Saturday that the US had knocked out much of Iran’s military but still needed to address one or two remaining targets. He characterized the negotiations as going fine, though he noted that his counterparts were not very reliable. Earlier that same day, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US was open to a diplomatic solution. Mohsen Rezaei, Iran’s security chief, disclosed that he received a letter from Vice President JD Vance seeking to revive talks. Rezaei described a positive change in tone from the US but said he had not yet responded.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi expressed hope that the US would choose diplomacy over other paths. He stated that Iran is ready for both defense and diplomacy depending on Washington’s rationality. Araghchi confirmed there are no current plans for direct talks with Washington. He told Al Jazeera on Saturday that Iran offered to open the strait within two days of the US lifting the blockade on oil ships, stopping the blockage of Iranian assets, and ending sanctions on Iranian oil exports. Araghchi is not attending the Doha mediation and is scheduled to travel to Turkmenistan on Monday.
Tensions remain high regarding the nuclear program. Ali Nikzad, the deputy speaker of Iran’s parliament, reiterated that Tehran is unwilling to discuss its nuclear program. He said the Iranian nation decided not to negotiate on the nuclear issue under any circumstances, citing repeated breaches of promises and illegal bombing of peaceful nuclear facilities. Rezaei claimed Trump is being hounded by a war with international repercussions wider than the Vietnam war. Rezaei told Iranian television that Trump must answer why he started the war, claiming no American family has been spared the pressure caused by the conflict.
