Qatari Mediators Head to Tehran for Talks on Draft US-Iran Deal, Reuters Says

Qatari mediators are traveling to Tehran late Monday, Nov. 2, to discuss a US-Iran deal with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Reuters reported the trip, citing an official briefed on the talks.

The official said the talks center on a version of the draft deal under negotiation for the past eight days. We found no official confirmation from either government, and no agreement has been announced.

What Reuters Reported

Reuters said the mediators would meet Araghchi on a potential deal between Iran and the United States. It named no official, and we could not open the full Reuters text.

Some outlets relayed the report as saying the mediators had already returned. The wording we found says they travel “late Monday,” so the arrival time is unconfirmed.

How the Mediation Got Here

Qatari mediators were last in Tehran on Friday, Oct. 30, coordinating with Washington, Reuters reported. The talks moved to Doha on Saturday and ran through Sunday, CNA reported.

Araghchi said Saturday that Iranian and Qatari negotiators built a plan to reopen Hormuz within two days of a deal. We covered the two-day plan.

Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi was in Doha to pass messages to Washington through Qatar, spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said. Iranian negotiators left on Sunday, and a draft proposal is circulating, an official told Reuters.

That official said the departure was not due to problems in the talks. A follow-up meeting is possible.

Where the Sides Stand

Araghchi said consultations through mediators are “very intensive” and that everything depends on Washington’s “political rationality,” Reuters reported. Baghaei said the ball is in the US court, Iran International reported.

Iran says no deal can proceed and Hormuz cannot reopen until the US ends its naval blockade. Tehran says it will return to nuclear talks only after verifying that its conditions are met.

Baghaei said moving enriched uranium out of Iran was not raised in Doha. He added that Iran is not yet discussing conditions for renewed IAEA inspections, Iran International reported.

Washington wants nuclear issues on the table from the start. Vice President JD Vance’s late-October letter to Iranian security chief Mohsen Rezaei stressed that point, as we covered.

Trump said the Vance outreach concerned medical supplies, Reuters reported. Iranian sources told Reuters they still think a new US attack is more likely than a deal.

What Is at Stake

Markets are watching closely. Oil fell nearly 8% on Monday on diplomacy hopes, as we reported.

The window may be short. Gulf governments are bracing for possible US strikes after Tuesday’s midterms, the WSJ reported, as we covered. Trump has said he will not attack before the vote.