Mediators from Qatar arrived in Tehran on Monday evening for talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on a proposed agreement with the United States.
An official briefed on the contacts said the discussions in Tehran centred on the possibility of reaching an agreement between Washington and Tehran to end the war. The talks focused on a specific version of a draft agreement that the involved parties had been debating for the previous eight days, according to the official.
No further details have been made known regarding the terms of the draft text or the points where disagreements still remain between the parties. The arrival of the Qatari mediators in the Iranian capital represents a new development in diplomatic efforts to reach a solution to the conflict.
Draft agreement negotiations
At the same time in Washington, US President Donald Trump reiterated his assessment that the Iranian side wants an agreement to end the war. Trump struck an optimistic tone regarding a potential diplomatic settlement, saying that an agreement could happen.
The US president gave no further details about the progress of the negotiations, the contents of any potential deal, or the timeline in which an agreement could be reached.
Qatar has long played the role of diplomatic mediator between the United States and Iran, often hosting indirect discussions and facilitating communications between the two adversaries. Official diplomatic ties between Washington and Tehran were severed following the 1979 Islamic Revolution, leaving both nations dependent on regional third parties to exchange official proposals during disputes.
Diplomatic contacts in Tehran
Araghchi is an experienced diplomat who previously served as Iran's chief negotiator during international talks on Tehran's nuclear programme before his appointment as foreign minister. His meetings with the Qatari envoys in Tehran place him at the centre of Iran's latest interactions with Western counterparts.
Diplomatic efforts are continuing in the Iranian capital, according to reports from the Greek state news agency ANA MPA. The agency reported that negotiations remain underway, but no definitive agreement has yet been announced by either government.
