Qatar presses Iran talks as reports say US may join direct negotiations in Doha

Qatari mediators held more than 12 hours of talks with Iranian officials in Tehran on Friday and flew back to Doha with Iran's negotiating team, as Gulf mediators race to secure a deal between the United States and Iran before Washington's midterm elections on November 3, Axios reported.

A Qatar-based newspaper, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, reported on Saturday that a US delegation is expected to join the talks in Doha to negotiate directly with Iran. There was no official confirmation from Washington, Tehran or Doha, and other outlets describing the same talks spoke only of progress rather than a breakthrough.

What is being reported

According to Axios, the Qatari team in Tehran was led by a senior adviser to Qatar's prime minister and foreign minister, and stayed in contact with the White House during Friday's talks. A diplomatic source told Axios there had been "positive progress" and that talks were continuing in an effort to unlock a deal.

Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, citing sources close to the Qatari and Pakistani mediation, said preliminary understandings had been reached on Iran's nuclear programme, shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and financial incentives for Iran, with China and Russia possibly acting as guarantors, according to Türkiye Today and ANI, which carried the report.

Saudi broadcaster Al Arabiya separately reported the outline of a draft framework that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days. None of the parties has confirmed it.

The gaps remain wide. A US official told Axios that Washington wants nuclear concessions before talks resume, while Tehran wants the US first to lift its naval blockade, release frozen funds and allow Iranian oil sales. Qatar has proposed letting UN inspectors visit Iran's damaged nuclear sites in return for some sanctions relief, according to Axios.

Pressure of a deadline

The talks are taking place under the threat of renewed US strikes. MS NOW, a US network, reported on Friday that the administration had told Gulf allies to prepare for a "short and swift" round of fighting that could begin as early as November 4, the day after the midterms, citing three senior Gulf officials. The Associated Press reported earlier this week that US officials had warned several countries in the region to prepare for possible Iranian retaliation, including against energy facilities, and that President Donald Trump had not made a final decision.

Axios reported divisions within the administration. Pete Hegseth, who heads the Pentagon, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are described as sceptical of a deal with Iran's current leadership, while Vice President JD Vance and envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner favour talks. A White House official said the election result would not factor into Trump's decision.

Trump told reporters on Friday that Iran wanted to talk. "We have time, frankly," he said, describing the conflict as "not a typical war".

An Iranian army spokesman, Brigadier General Akraminia, warned in remarks carried by Iranian media that any new US attack would spread the war across a wider region. Iran has threatened to hit oil and gas facilities in Gulf states if its own energy infrastructure is struck.

Background

The war began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran in late February 2026, and restrictions on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz have since disrupted Gulf energy supplies. Earlier this week Vice President Vance wrote to Mohsen Rezaei, head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, in an attempt to revive talks. Pakistan has also been mediating: its army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, has visited Tehran twice this month, and a Pakistani military spokesman said this week he was cautiously optimistic, Reuters reported.

The UN nuclear watchdog has had no access to Iran's key nuclear sites since the June 2025 conflict. On October 27, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi told the UN Security Council that Iran should work with the agency "without any further delay".

What happens next

Talks were expected to resume in Doha on Saturday. Egypt, Turkey, Iraq, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are urging Iran to reach terms before the US votes on Tuesday, according to Axios. Whether a US delegation travels to Doha will be the clearest sign of real progress.