Qatar Steps into Talks to End US War on Iran

By Staff, Agencies

A Qatari negotiating team arrived in Tehran on Friday in coordination with the United States, a source told Reuters, saying it aimed to help secure a final deal to end the war and resolve outstanding issues with Iran.

Qatar had until now distanced itself from mediation after Iran struck US bases involved in aggression and US-affiliated infrastructure on its territory during the war.

The reversal reflects growing diplomatic momentum behind efforts to end the war, with Doha drawing on its established role as a back-channel between Washington and Tehran.

The Qatari move comes as Pakistan, which has served as the official mediator since the aggression began, continues to lead formal negotiations.

Speaking on Friday on the sidelines of a NATO foreign ministers' gathering in Helsingborg, Sweden, Rubio described Islamabad's contribution as "admirable," while acknowledging that Gulf states with direct stakes in the war were also engaged.

"Obviously, other countries have interests, because especially Gulf countries that are in the middle of all this, they have their own situation going on," he said.

A senior Iranian source told Reuters on Thursday that no deal had yet been reached, though gaps between the two sides have narrowed. Iran's uranium enrichment programme and Tehran's control over the Strait of Hormuz remain the principal sticking points.

Rubio struck a cautiously optimistic tone. "There's some good signs," he said Thursday. "I don't want to be overly optimistic... let's see what happens over the next few days."

Washington has maintained its demand that Iran halt uranium enrichment, despite Tehran's repeated insistence that enrichment is a sovereign right and that it has no intention of building a nuclear weapon.

Iran, for its part, has affirmed that its priorities are ending the war on all fronts, releasing frozen funds, and halting maritime piracy against its commercial vessels. Tehran has said the exchange of messages with Washington is ongoing based on its proposed 14-point framework.