Far from the sealed rooms where the fate of a nation's atomic ambitions is usually decided, a quieter kind of diplomacy has begun to stir in the Gulf, as Iran weighs a set of proposals carried by Qatar to narrow its gulf with Washington. The war, now more than eight months old, has pressed every party toward a settlement that none of them yet knows how to accept without appearing to yield, and the question of uranium stockpiles sits at the heart of it like an unanswered sentence. Whether this moment becomes a true opening or simply another pause in a long, grinding conflict will depend on whet
Iran Reviews Qatari Proposals on Nuclear Program as Hopes for Indirect Talks Rise
Reviewing a proposal is not accepting it
Mark
What actually happened Friday?
Mimi
Two officials said Iran is reviewing proposals Qatar, the main mediator, put forward on the nuclear program. It's a sign that indirect talks might be possible.
Mark
What's in the proposal?
Mimi
A two-day bridge. Day one, the U.S. lifts its blockade and some frozen funds are released, and Iran lets IAEA inspectors into bombed sites. Day two, Iran reopens the Strait of Hormuz under a temporary arrangement. Then broader nuclear talks begin.
Luke
Keep in mind that all of this comes from two anonymous officials. Neither the White House nor Iran has publicly confirmed the terms.
Mark
And Iran's position?
Mimi
One official stressed Iran still won't negotiate on its atomic activities until the U.S. meets core conditions: ending the blockade, lifting sanctions, unfreezing assets, compensation, and ending regional hostilities.
Luke
Which Trump has declined before. Reviewing a proposal is not accepting it, and the report doesn't say how Iran is leaning.
Mark
Why now?
Mimi
Republicans lost both chambers Tuesday, partly over the war and fuel prices. The calls among Gulf and regional leaders picked up after that.
Luke
The timing is notable, but the report only notes it as coincident. It doesn't say the election caused Iran's openness.
Mark
What's the Hormuz piece?
Mimi
The modified Iran-Oman arrangement hasn't been approved by the U.S. That's an open question.
O Pulso
- Iran is quietly studying Qatari proposals while insisting that core demands be met before any talks on its nuclear program begin.
- A proposed two-day bridge deal would lift the U.S. port blockade and release frozen funds in exchange for inspector access to bombed nuclear sites.
- The Strait of Hormuz hangs in the balance, with a temporary Iran-Oman arrangement awaiting an American approval that has not yet come.
- Washington's political standing has been shaken by midterm losses and fuel prices, while fears of new strikes keep every channel of diplomacy tense.
Far from the sealed rooms where the fate of a nation's atomic ambitions is usually decided, a quieter kind of diplomacy has begun to stir in the Gulf, as Iran weighs a set of proposals carried by Qatar to narrow its gulf with Washington. The war, now more than eight months old, has pressed every party toward a settlement that none of them yet knows how to accept without appearing to yield, and the question of uranium stockpiles sits at the heart of it like an unanswered sentence. Whether this moment becomes a true opening or simply another pause in a long, grinding conflict will depend on whether each side can bear to move first.
Two Middle East officials said Friday that Iran is studying a set of proposals passed along by Qatar, the chief mediator in a war that is now more than eight months old. The aim is to narrow the gap with the United States over Tehran's nuclear program. The White House declined to comment, and the officials spoke anonymously because the talks are delicate.
Tehran has not yet agreed to negotiate with the Trump administration on its atomic work. It first wants Washington to end the blockade of its ports, lift sanctions, unfreeze assets, pay compensation for war damage, and halt hostilities across the region, including Israeli operations in Lebanon. Trump has refused such concessions before, but he told reporters that talks through mediators continue, and insisted the U.S. military remains in control.
The mediators' idea is a two-day bridge deal. On the first day, the blockade would lift and some frozen Iranian funds would be released, and Iran would admit inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency to sites bombed by the U.S. and Israel. On the second day, Iran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz under a temporary arrangement it reached with Oman, which Washington has not approved. Only after that would the two sides take up the stockpile of highly enriched uranium, which the IAEA says stands at 440.9 kilograms at 60% purity, a short step from weapons grade.
The push comes after Republicans lost both chambers of Congress in midterm elections, a result driven partly by anger over the war and rising fuel prices. Phone diplomacy is intensifying across the region, and Egypt's foreign minister has urged both sides to show flexibility. What remains uncertain is whether Washington will accept the sequence of the bridge deal, and whether Tehran will set its preconditions aside.
Two Middle East government officials said Friday that Iran is studying a set of proposals handed over by Qatar, the chief mediator in the conflict, meant to narrow the gap with the United States over Tehran's nuclear program. Both officials spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to discuss the delicate negotiations. The White House declined to comment on the Qatari proposals.
The development has raised hopes that the two sides may be moving toward indirect talks on an issue President Donald Trump says must be settled in any deal ending the war, which is now more than eight months old. One of the officials cautioned, though, that for now Iran still refuses to negotiate with the Trump administration over its atomic activities until Washington accepts several core conditions Tehran has demanded as part of any ceasefire.
Those conditions are an end to the U.S. blockade of Iran's ports, the lifting of sanctions, the unfreezing of Iranian assets, compensation for war damage, and a halt to hostilities across the region, including Israeli operations in Lebanon. Trump has declined such concessions in the past. Asked by reporters Friday, he said mediators' talks with Iran continue: "We are talking to Iran. We have been." He maintains that the U.S. military remains in control of the conflict and that Iran is battered.
Regional officials described a possible bridge deal that Qatari mediators recently put to both sides. It would unfold over two days of trust-building steps. First, the U.S. blockade would be lifted and some of the billions of dollars in Iranian funds frozen over the years, in Washington's campaign to isolate Iran over its nuclear work, would be released. In return, Iran would let International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors into sites bombed by the U.S. and Israel.
On the second day, Iran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz under a modified arrangement that Iran and Oman have reached but the United States has not approved. The officials said that mechanism would be temporary, lasting until a permanent deal on the strait is reached with other Gulf countries. After those steps, the U.S. and Iran would begin extensive talks on Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium and other parts of its program.
The stockpile is the central worry. Iran has long said its program is peaceful, but the IAEA reports it holds 440.9 kilograms (972 pounds) of uranium enriched to 60% purity, a short technical step from the 90% considered weapons grade.
The diplomatic activity follows Tuesday's U.S. midterm elections, in which Republicans lost both chambers of Congress. Voter dissatisfaction with Trump's handling of the war, and with elevated fuel prices that the conflict has pushed through nearly every sector of the global economy, helped drive the setback.
Phone diplomacy has been brisk. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth spoke Friday with Qatari counterpart Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, according to the Qatari government, which also confirmed an earlier call between Trump and Qatar's emir about easing tensions. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke with his Iraqi and Tunisian counterparts; Iraq's News Agency said he laid out with Fuad Hussein Tehran's vision for resuming negotiations with the U.S. Concern persists that Trump could still order new strikes on Iran.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, who held two calls with Araghchi this week, wrote on X that both sides must show "flexibility" to reach the "compromise solutions" needed to keep the region from a new wave of escalation. He also spoke with Emirati counterpart Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan about preventing another military confrontation. What to watch next is whether Washington accepts the sequencing of the two-day bridge deal, and whether Tehran drops its preconditions.
Citações Notáveis
We are talking to Iran. We have been.— President Donald Trump
Both sides must show flexibility to reach compromise solutions and prevent a new wave of escalation.— Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty (paraphrased)
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