Trump sees momentum toward Iran war’s end after Qatar talks

President Donald Trump said Monday there was "positive momentum" toward ending the war with Iran after White House talks with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, whose country is the main mediator between Washington and Tehran. Trump also called a resumption of US strikes "quite unlikely," Al Jazeera reported. Even so, the meeting ended without a breakthrough. Iran is still demanding that Washington lift its naval blockade and sanctions before peace can move forward.aljazeera.com

Talks without a breakthrough

The closed-press meeting lasted about 45 minutes. The White House said it produced no breakthroughs, according to Al Jazeera. Al Thani had flown in from talks in Tehran last week and brought an Iranian proposal with him. The US neither accepted nor rejected it. In a social media post, Trump said Gulf Arab states "prefer the status quo," but warned that if things in the region change, "America is 'locked and loaded' and ready to go," Bloomberg reported. He told Reuters that "Qatar would rather see a peaceful solution," but added, "we're ready to go anytime we want".bloomberg.com+1

Under Iran's plan, the US would end its blockade of Iranian ports, lift some sanctions and stop bombing. In return, Tehran would end its own blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, and talks on its nuclear program would follow. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday called Tehran's conditions "outrageous and ridiculous and really not realistic," Reuters reported.today.com

Tehran defends two-day offer

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei defended the plan, which cuts an earlier seven-day timeline to restart talks down to two days. "Is it unreasonable that Iran demands that US illegal sanctions and its naval blockade must be lifted before negotiations start and that the war should end on all fronts?" he asked, The New Arab reported. Iran said it cannot move toward peace unless the US also releases seized assets, accusing Washington of going back on its commitments.newarab.com+1

Fighting has not stopped. Iranian state media said the US struck Qeshm island overnight Sunday. Iran has attacked tankers in the Gulf, and its Houthi allies have hit Saudi Arabia. The war began February 28 and is now more than eight months old.today.com

Oil slides on diplomacy hopes

Oil prices fell further on hopes for diplomacy. Brent crude dropped as much as 5.6% at one point on Monday, Bloomberg reported. That followed Brent's largest weekly decline since April 2020. Expectations of a deal have grown since Democrats swept last week's midterm elections. A Qatari official, however, said circulating reports describing details of a proposal were false.energyconnects.com

Regional officials remain doubtful. Senior Emirati official Anwar Gargash warned that the region should "prepare for a long period of uncertainty in which neither a decisive resolution nor stable regional order can be taken for granted".today.com