Qatar’s prime minister is due to meet US President Donald Trump on Monday amid regional efforts to end the Iran war, following an Iraqi prime ministerial visit to Tehran and a Turkish announcement of planned high-level US-Iran talks in Doha.
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani is scheduled to meet Trump and Vice President JD Vance in Washington after visiting Tehran last week, Reuters reported.
Ibrahim Kalin, head of Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization, said in a conference in Ankara on Monday that Qatar would host Vance and Iran’s Supreme National Security Council secretary Mohsen Rezaei next week, Türkiye newspaper reported.
Kalin said the planned Doha meeting could help advance negotiations between Washington and Tehran. He warned that failure to reach an agreement could lead to another US attack on Iran.
IRGC-affiliated Tasnim news agency subsequently cited an unnamed senior security official in Tehran as denying that such a meeting was planned.
“Iran’s policy and plans regarding negotiations have not changed, and until the American side takes practical action within the framework of the seven conditions, no plans for negotiations with the American side will be considered,” the official said.
The diplomatic activity followed talks in Tehran on Friday between Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Falih al-Zaidi and Iran’s chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, according to IRGC-affiliated Fars news agency.
Citing an informed source, Fars said Zaidi’s visit lasted several hours and focused exclusively on Iraq’s efforts to end the war between Iran and the United States.
Ghalibaf outlined Iran’s “two-day plan” and said Washington needed to respect Iran’s rights within that framework for negotiations to advance, the source said.
Iran’s proposal would halt US bombing, ease sanctions and end the US blockade of Iranian ports in exchange for reopening Hormuz, with nuclear negotiations to follow, Reuters reported.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday that a breakthrough was not imminent, describing Iranian conditions as “outrageous and ridiculous and really not realistic.”
The diplomatic push comes after President Donald Trump played down the prospect of escalating the war in a “60 Minutes” interview aired on Sunday.
“Well I’m not looking to. I don’t think there’s any reason to,” Trump said when asked whether he would escalate the conflict following the US midterm elections.
‘Seven-point agreement’
Speaking at “The Search for a New Regional Social Contract in the Middle East” conference in Ankara, Kalin said Turkey and other regional mediators were working on a seven-point agreement, with the main disagreement concerning which side should act first.
The proposed plan envisages lifting sanctions against Iran and releasing frozen Iranian assets. In return, Tehran would commit not to develop nuclear weapons, begin negotiations with the International Atomic Energy Agency and lift its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, according to Türkiye newspaper.
Kalin urged Tehran to show greater flexibility and warned that the next few days could be decisive.
Iran signaled a willingness to negotiate an end to its confrontation with the United States on Monday, but insisted Washington must first lift measures imposed since the Islamabad understanding, as disputes over nuclear activities and control of the Strait of Hormuz continued.
President Masoud Pezeshkian said former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had instructed officials to end the country's prolonged state of uncertainty between war and peace, opening the door to negotiations.
"The supreme leader ordered us to end the no-war, no-peace situation," Pezeshkian said. "We can hold talks with dignity and bring the matter to an end with dignity."
The president also called for changes in how Iran is governed, saying the country's resources should not leave its people struggling to meet basic needs.
"I cannot accept that anyone in the country goes to bed hungry," Pezeshkian said.
Iran sets conditions for two-day proposal
The president's remarks came as the foreign ministry outlined conditions for a proposed diplomatic arrangement that it said could restore regional security within two days.
Iran would fulfill its commitments under the proposal if Washington lifted sanctions, the naval blockade and other measures imposed since the Islamabad understanding, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said.
The proposal was a shortened version of an earlier seven-day plan, Baghaei said, adding that Qatar and Pakistan remained in regular contact with both sides.
The demands drew a sharp contrast with Washington's position after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described Iran's terms as unacceptable.
Baghaei rejected the criticism and accused Washington of imposing unreasonable conditions on negotiations.
"We have made it very clear that if the United States meets the Islamic Republic's demands, security will return to the region within two days," Baghaei said.
Nuclear disputes remain unresolved
Iran will not transfer its enriched uranium abroad, and inspections of nuclear facilities damaged by US attacks cannot proceed under existing conditions, Baghaei said separately in an interview with Lebanon's Al Mayadeen television.
The spokesman said International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors had visited the Bushehr nuclear power plant several days earlier and that Iran remained in contact with the UN nuclear watchdog.
However, he argued that the attacks had complicated Iran's ability to fulfill its safeguards obligations.
The remarks coincided with comments from Iranian lawmakers about the country's nuclear capabilities and future policy.
Esmail Kowsari said US strikes during the 12-day war had destroyed aboveground buildings near nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan but had not damaged centrifuges or uranium enriched to 60%.
Another lawmaker, Hamidreza Gudarzi, argued that Iran should acquire nuclear weapons to deter future threats, while acknowledging that decisions on changes to the country's nuclear doctrine rested with senior authorities.
Hormuz dispute and regional diplomacy
Beyond the nuclear issue, Iran and the United States continued to dispute the security situation in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Revolutionary Guards denied that US forces had cleared any naval mines from the strategic waterway.
"No war mines have been cleared from the Strait of Hormuz, and this claim is an outright lie," Revolutionary Guards spokesperson Hossein Mohebi said.
The disagreement came as regional governments sought to prevent further military escalation.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he had told US President Donald Trump during a recent telephone conversation that Ankara opposed another round of attacks on Iran and favored a diplomatic solution.
The United Arab Emirates also warned that a comprehensive settlement between Washington and Tehran remained difficult.
The consequences of the war could persist for years, requiring stronger defense capabilities and sustained diplomatic engagement, UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash said.
China pursued its own diplomatic contacts, with special envoy Zhai Jun meeting Iranian security official Ali Bagheri Kani during a regional tour that also includes Oman and Saudi Arabia.
Beijing emphasized that the widening Middle East conflict could not be resolved through military force.
Monday's developments left Iran and the United States expressing sharply different conditions for ending their confrontation, with nuclear disputes, sanctions and maritime security remaining central obstacles to a negotiated settlement.
US President Donald Trump said Sunday that further strikes on Iran were unlikely if negotiations produced a strong agreement, even as fresh explosions in southern Iran and attacks on shipping near the Strait of Hormuz underscored the risk of renewed fighting.
In a telephone interview with CNN, Trump said it was “highly unlikely” that another attack would be necessary if Iran agreed to a strong deal. He nevertheless warned that the United States had identified potential infrastructure targets, including 38 bridges that he said could be destroyed within an hour if fighting resumed.
The US and Israeli militaries had prepared for the possibility of renewed strikes against Iran over the weekend, but Trump ultimately issued no order to attack, The Jerusalem Post reported Sunday, citing two sources.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with senior security officials Friday, while two diplomatic sources told the newspaper that Trump had given Vice President JD Vance and other senior administration officials “a few days” to reach an agreement with Tehran.
The comments came amid Qatar's efforts to mediate between Washington and Tehran. A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Tehran had submitted a nuclear proposal through Doha, but further discussions depended on Washington meeting Iranian demands, including sanctions relief, access to frozen assets and war reparations. The United States insists that nuclear issues be addressed in initial talks.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday that mediators had been inactive for several days following the US midterm elections and that more time was needed before diplomatic efforts could resume.
He also reiterated Tehran's proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within two days if its conditions were met, including an end to hostilities on all fronts, warning of military retaliation if Washington chose renewed war.
Explosions and maritime confrontation
The diplomatic uncertainty coincided with a series of explosions reported along Iran's southern coast, where the Strait of Hormuz remains a focal point of the confrontation.
Iranian media reported four explosions on Qeshm Island and further blasts in Bandar Abbas on Sunday, following reports of explosions around Qeshm, Jask and Sirik on Saturday.
The IRGC-affiliated Tasnim news agency reported Sunday that a projectile fired by US forces had struck Qeshm, but the claim could not be independently verified.
Earlier, Tasnim had reported that two missiles struck the island during Saturday's incidents, while Iranian state television said officials had not confirmed missile strikes on Iranian territory and suggested that some explosions might be related to Iranian military activity.
Washington had previously acknowledged limited strikes against Iranian air defenses on Qeshm on November 2, describing the operation as a defensive response to Iranian surface-to-air missile activity against US assets.
The confrontation has also continued at sea, where Washington and Tehran are imposing competing restrictions on commercial shipping.
The IRGC said two oil tankers had caught fire after striking mines while attempting to pass through what it called an unauthorized route in the Strait of Hormuz. The semi-official Fars news agency separately reported that a third tanker had suffered an explosion and caught fire. The claims could not be independently verified.
Separately, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported Sunday that a tanker had been struck by an unidentified projectile while sailing out of the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday. Another tanker caught fire near Khasab, Oman, prompting its crew to evacuate. It was unclear whether these incidents were connected to those reported by Iran.
The shipping incidents came alongside a US operation Saturday in which American forces said they disabled a commercial vessel in the Gulf of Oman after its crew ignored repeated warnings and attempted to breach Washington's naval blockade of Iran.
The US military said an aircraft fired precision munitions at the stern of the St. Kitts-flagged M/V Huda, disabling the vessel.
Washington is also seeking to extend its restrictions beyond maritime routes. US Central Command announced Task Force Iron Gate, an initiative intended to disrupt the movement of advanced weapons, dual-use technology, sanctioned materials and illicit revenue through Iran's land borders and the Caspian Sea.
Trump said Sunday that the task force was operating at full strength and claimed the naval blockade had severely restricted the movement of goods into and out of Iran. The IRGC dismissed the initiative, saying efforts to isolate Iran through its land borders would fail.
Regional attacks deepen the disruption
Regional tensions also intensified Sunday as the Saudi-led coalition said its air defenses had intercepted two ballistic missiles and two cruise missiles launched by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis toward Riyadh and other parts of the kingdom.
Falling debris damaged an administrative building belonging to Saudi Aramco in Riyadh's financial district, although Saudi authorities reported no casualties. The Houthis said they had targeted Saudi oil and other facilities, while Saudi officials did not establish a direct link between the interceptions and the damage to the building.
In Iraq, an explosive-laden drone struck the Khor Mor gas field in the Kurdistan Region's Sulaymaniyah province, causing a fire and prompting a suspension of production. The regional electricity ministry said nearly 2,800 megawatts of electricity generation had been lost from the grid. Responsibility for the attack remained unclear.
The attacks added to the regional disruption caused by the confrontation, particularly to energy supplies and infrastructure, while Washington and Tehran remained divided over the terms of a settlement.
The strait remains central to both the military confrontation and diplomatic negotiations. With Iranian forces continuing to enforce their own shipping restrictions and Washington expanding its blockade, Trump's willingness to avoid further strikes has yet to resolve the dispute over access to the waterway.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards warned ships against cooperating with US forces after reporting three tankers on fire in the Strait of Hormuz, while Houthis targeted Saudi Arabia and Israel warned of unfinished operations against Iran on Sunday.
The Revolutionary Guards said three oil tankers caught fire after taking what they described as an unauthorized route through the Strait of Hormuz.
The Guards linked the fires to vessels disabling their navigation and identification systems and cooperating with US forces, warning that ships defying transit rules and accompanying the US military would face similar consequences.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations center separately reported that a tanker was struck by an unknown projectile while sailing outbound through the strait on Saturday. All crew members were safe, and no environmental damage was reported.
UKMTO also received a report of another tanker catching fire near Oman's Musandam Peninsula, prompting the evacuation of its crew. Authorities were investigating both reports.
Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia
Saudi-led coalition forces intercepted two ballistic missiles launched toward Riyadh by Yemen's Houthis, followed by two cruise missiles targeting Riyadh and southern Saudi Arabia, according to coalition statements.
The coalition also reported intercepting a Houthi drone aimed at the kingdom's southern region.
Saudi Arabia's Energy Ministry said falling debris damaged an Aramco administrative building in Riyadh without causing casualties. Reuters reported that windows were blown out across several floors of the building.
A separate tower in Riyadh's King Abdullah Financial District was also damaged by a projectile, Reuters reported, citing witnesses and people briefed on the matter.
The Houthis later announced that they had targeted King Khalid International Airport, Saudi Aramco oil storage tanks and a financial center in the Saudi capital.
Israel warns Iran over nuclear activities
Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz said the country's mission against Iran's nuclear threat was not yet complete, maintaining that Tehran was renewing efforts to acquire nuclear weapons.
"Regarding Iran, the mission is not yet complete," Katz said at a memorial ceremony for soldiers killed in Operation Kadesh.
Katz also warned Hezbollah against joining a possible Iranian attack on Israel, saying the group would face a severe military response and lose additional territory.
Iranian military officials issued warnings of their own.
An adviser to the Revolutionary Guards' aerospace force said Iran had sufficient weapons reserves to defend itself for years and was continuing to reverse-engineer foreign military equipment.
Ali Balali warned that any move by Iran's adversaries would trigger a "devastating response," adding that the country's armed forces had "their fingers on the trigger."
Separately, Revolutionary Guards spokesman Hossein Mohebi dismissed a new US initiative to restrict overland routes used to transfer weapons and sanctioned goods.
Mohebi said Task Force Iron Gate, established by US Central Command, would fail to isolate Iran from its neighbors.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Saturday that restrictions on the range of the country's ballistic missiles had been lifted, raising the prospect of strikes against targets farther afield if US or Israeli attacks resume.
Iran has long maintained that it voluntarily restricted the range of its ballistic missiles to 2,000 kilometres (about 1,200 miles), sufficient to reach Israel and US military installations across much of the Middle East.
Referring to a recent directive from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei to respond to threats with “no geographical limits,” IRGC spokesman Hossein Mohebbi said: “That restriction has been lifted for us.”
He did not say whether Iran had developed or deployed missiles capable of exceeding its previously declared range limit, saying only that the country's capabilities should be demonstrated in practice, not through public statements.
Ali Bilali, an adviser to the commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force, said Saturday that Iran's missiles had a range of about 2,000 kilometres and were capable of precision strikes.
The question of whether Iran possesses longer-range weapons gained prominence during the war in March, when US and British officials said two ballistic missiles had been launched towards Diego Garcia, a joint American-British military base in the Indian Ocean nearly 4,000 kilometres from Iranian territory.
British Defence Secretary John Healey said one fell short and the other was intercepted before reaching its target. Iran denied responsibility for the attempted strike.
Iran's ballistic missile programme has repeatedly featured in US demands for restrictions on Tehran's military capabilities, although it appears to have receded from more recent diplomatic proposals, which have focused primarily on the nuclear programme.
Missiles are central to Iran's military deterrence, especially after two rounds of war that severely degraded its air defences and other conventional capabilities.
Regional powers, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey, press for a negotiated settlement between Tehran and Washington, seeking to avert another round of fighting that could threaten their security, disrupt energy supplies and inflict further economic damage across the region.
Speaking at a news conference marking the IRGC's Aerospace Week, Mohebbi said the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had previously directed the military to halt increases in missile range at certain times and authorised extensions at others.
He also claimed that the Guards had moved missile and drone production underground during the wars with Israel and the United States, allowing manufacturing to continue despite bombardment.
“Any point from which we sense a serious threat against our country can become our target,” Mohebbi said, warning that further attacks on Iran would carry a heavy price for its adversaries.
Israel’s prime minister and his Mossad chief planned an operation against Iran on the eve of Israel's October 27 election, over the objections of other security chiefs, and dropped it after a mistake by an Israeli operative tipped off Washington, Channel 12 reported on Friday.
The report, which the channel said was unsourced and broadcast under military censorship, did not describe the operation. It said other senior figures in the security establishment opposed it because it could cause an escalation and force the election to be postponed, but that planning went ahead until the United States learned of it and moved to stop it.
The Prime Minister's Office denied the report: "The prime minister himself clarified in real time that an attack before the Israeli elections was not on the agenda."
The account follows a run of reports in the week of the vote. On October 25, two days before the election, Channel 12 reported an "unprecedented confrontation" between Benjamin Netanyahuand the military chief of staff, Eyal Zamir, over an instruction for unspecified action involving Iran, with Zamir demanding further deliberations and signed legal authorization.
Iran International carried that report at the time. The next day Channels 12 and 13 reported that Zamir was the only security chief to oppose the action, and the New York Times reported, citing three senior defense officials, that Netanyahu had "sought for weeks to orchestrate a new airstrike on Iran" and was blocked by Zamir.
CNN reported that Netanyahu had asked President Donald Trump to approve a joint strike before the election and that Trump refused.
Netanyahu called the October 25 report "nonsense," saying in the same interview that he had "instructed the IDF and Mossad to topple the regime" in Iran. Former prime minister Ehud Barak said on Thursday that Netanyahu had planned "a provocation" via the Mossad "behind the back of the IDF chief of staff."
Friday's report came as Qatari-mediated talks between Washington and Tehran continued. Channel 12 reported this week that Netanyahu had urged Trump to resume the war immediately after Tuesday's US midterm elections, and that Trump wanted to give the talks more time.
"We're talking to Iran," Trump told reporters on Friday. "We haven't lost a soldier in six or seven months."
