Iran Reviews Qatari Proposals on Nuclear Program as Talks With US Edge Closer

Iran is studying a set of proposals handed over by Qatar, the chief mediator in its war with the United States, that are meant to narrow the gap over Tehran's nuclear program. Two Middle East government officials described the review on Friday. Neither was authorized to speak publicly about the delicate negotiations, and both asked not to be named.

The review has raised hopes that the two sides may be inching toward indirect talks on one of the hardest questions of the conflict, now more than eight months old. President Donald Trump has said the nuclear issue must be settled as part of any deal to end the war. One of the officials cautioned, however, that for now Iran remains unwilling to negotiate 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 turned these demands down in the past.

The timing matters. The stepped-up engagement between Iran and Qatari officials comes days after Tuesday's U.S. midterm elections, in which Republicans lost both chambers of Congress. The loss was fueled in part by voter dissatisfaction with Trump's handling of the war and by elevated fuel prices, a consequence of the conflict that has touched nearly every sector of the global economy.

The White House declined to comment on the Qatari proposals. Asked by reporters on Friday, Trump said, "We are talking to Iran. We have been." He continues to insist the U.S. military is in control of the conflict and that Iran is battered.

Regional officials described a possible bridge deal, recently put to both sides by the Qataris, meant to clear the way for nuclear talks. It would begin with trust-building steps over two days. The U.S. would lift its blockade and release some of the billions of dollars in Iranian funds frozen over the years during a U.S. campaign to isolate Iran over its nuclear program. 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 agreement it has reached with Oman. The United States has not approved that arrangement. The officials said it would be temporary, until a permanent deal on the strait is reached with other Gulf countries. After these steps, the U.S. and Iran would begin extensive talks on Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium and other parts of its program. Iran has long said the program is peaceful. The IAEA says Iran holds 440.9 kilograms (972 pounds) of uranium enriched to 60% purity, a short technical step from the 90% weapons-grade level.

A wave of phone diplomacy has accompanied the proposals, amid concern that Trump could still order new strikes on Iran. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth spoke Friday with Qatar's defense minister, Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, according to the Qatari government, which also confirmed an earlier call between Trump and Qatar's emir about de-escalation. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke with his Iraqi and Tunisian counterparts; Iraq's News Agency said he laid out Tehran's vision for resuming negotiations with the U.S. to Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, who spoke with Araghchi twice this week, wrote on X that both sides must show "flexibility" to reach the "compromise solutions" needed to keep the region from sliding into fresh escalation. He also called his Emirati counterpart, Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to stress political negotiation. The question now is whether Washington will accept the bridge deal's opening exchange.