Iran and Qatar hold talks in Doha on ending the war — Asharq Al-Awsat
Iranian representatives held talks with Qatari mediators in Doha on October 31 regarding possible ways to end the war in the region. As Asharq Al-Awsat reports, citing a Reuters source familiar with the talks, the meetings took place amid fears of a new escalation after the U.S. midterm elections.
Contacts with Washington
The talks in the Qatari capital were preceded by more than 12 hours of consultations between Iranian and Qatari representatives in Tehran on October 30. The source claims that the negotiation process is coordinated through regular contacts with Washington.
Countries in the region expected that U.S. President Donald Trump, who had refrained from strikes on Iran during the weeks before the vote, could resume attacks after the elections. Iran has repeatedly stated that it would respond to new strikes by attacking U.S. and Israeli targets in neighboring countries.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei ordered the armed forces that same day to be ready to respond to any attacks. Iranian military officials later reported measures to increase combat readiness. According to Khamenei, the command reported high readiness along the Persian Gulf coast, near the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman, as well as on the country’s northwestern and southeastern borders.
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Proposals for a seven-day plan
According to the Reuters source, Qatar handed Tehran a proposal for a seven-day plan a week earlier: the United States and Iran would take daily steps to build confidence ahead of broader peace talks. A senior Iranian official told Reuters on October 30 that Tehran does not consider this option acceptable.
For its part, Iran has been proposing its own seven-day plan since September, which, according to the publication, President Trump has so far rejected. The plan provides for Washington to lift the blockade of Iranian ports, unfreeze assets, and approve an Iran-backed route through the Strait of Hormuz, after which the strait is to be opened.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, as reported by Al Jazeera, said that Tehran is studying a letter from U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance. He also called the Iranian initiative the only proposal for opening the Strait of Hormuz.
