Qatar: US and Iran Reviewing Proposals to End the War

Qatar announced Tuesday that the United States and Iran are reviewing proposals to end the war and have agreed to avoid escalation in the region and the Gulf. As JFeed has reported, American and Israeli officials expect the Qatari-led mediation to be followed by a bombing campaign against Iran if it fails.

Doha stated that both Washington and Tehran remain committed to its mediation. Qatar's Foreign Ministry spokesman noted there have been developments in the talks with both sides. He voiced hope that an agreement can be reached and added that work to narrow the gaps is continuing.

The announcement followed a limited American military action. A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Jerusalem Post on Monday that the US had carried out strikes on Iran's Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz. The Wall Street Journal broke the story first. The official described the strikes as apparently limited and not a resumption of major combat operations. They came after the Revolutionary Guards claimed to have downed a US MQ-9 drone overnight over the eastern part of the strait.

Earlier on Tuesday, Iran's Mohsen Rezaei turned down a Qatari proposal for direct meetings between American diplomats and the Iranian delegation in Doha, as JFeed reported.

On Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi addressed the mediation effort. "Consultations through intermediaries are at a very high intensity. We have presented our conditions and our plan, and the whole matter depends on the political rationality of Washington," Araghchi said.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian declared the same day that the Supreme Leader had granted his government "extensive authority." He added: "But there are still boundaries that cannot be crossed, we will not allow harm to the sovereignty of the nation."

Also on Monday, mediators told the Wall Street Journal that Gulf Arab states had warned Tehran they could retaliate, jointly or individually, if Iran attacks their infrastructure. Ynet reported that, according to mediators, the talks were stuck on which side should make the first concession.