US media reports that talks between the United States and Iran remain deadlocked despite Qatar’s mediation, with neither side appearing willing to significantly change its core position.
Citing three sources familiar with the negotiations, US news website Axios reported that efforts to narrow differences between the two countries were continuing through Qatar, but no major breakthrough had emerged.
According to the report, Qatari officials are maintaining regular contacts to find a formula that could ease tensions and pave the way for broader negotiations to resume. A spokesperson for Qatar’s foreign minister also said Doha was exchanging messages between the two sides and continuing efforts to identify common ground.
Axios reported that Qatari mediator Ali Al-Thawadi recently held several hours of talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in New York. The discussions covered a compromise proposal presented by Qatar, which sought to bring Iran’s demands concerning the Strait of Hormuz and US demands for concessions on Iran’s nuclear programme into a single framework.
Following his meeting with Araghchi, the Qatari mediator also contacted US officials. The aim was to find mutually acceptable middle ground on the main differences, particularly those involving the Strait of Hormuz, the US naval blockade and Iran’s nuclear programme.
Iran recently presented a seven-day plan linking the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to a diplomatic process. The proposal envisaged reopening the strait and launching broader negotiations once specific conditions were met. US President Donald Trump announced that he had rejected the proposal, but later said further talks between the United States and Iran were expected.
Washington maintains that any comprehensive agreement must address Iran’s nuclear programme. Tehran, meanwhile, is pressing for the immediate resolution of issues involving the Strait of Hormuz and the US naval blockade. This difference in priorities is regarded as one of the main obstacles to progress.
Reports indicate that other regional mediators, alongside Qatar, are also working to maintain contact between the two sides. However, no agreement has yet emerged that would confirm significant progress in the negotiations or a resolution of their differences.
