A Qatari delegation arrived in Tehran on Friday morning in an apparent effort to restore a ceasefire in the conflict between the United States and Iran. The visit comes as mediators explore a possible diplomatic process amid conflicting signals from Washington about its next steps.
Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported that the delegation travelled in coordination with US officials for talks and consultations. It was led by the senior adviser to Qatar’s prime minister and foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani.
The latest visit followed the delivery on Sunday of a letter from US Vice President JD Vance to Iranian security chief Mohsen Rezaei. A Qatari delegation carried that message, which reportedly proposed a new diplomatic process aimed at preventing another round of US strikes against Iran.
The letter and subsequent discussions focused on how negotiations might proceed, rather than on detailed conditions for peace, according to The Wall Street Journal. The newspaper cited an informed source who described the subject of those exchanges as a potential “framework for negotiations”.
Reporting from Tehran, Al Jazeera’s Resul Serdar said Iranian authorities had issued no official reaction to the letter. Sources nevertheless indicated that its tone had been received positively, describing it as considerably more respectful than earlier correspondence from the US administration. That difference was welcomed by Iranian authorities, the sources said.
Serdar said the visiting Qatari officials were believed to be seeking Iran’s response to Vance’s message while also providing more detail about a possible new diplomatic path. Their arrival followed the delivery of the proposal and the discussions about a framework, with no specific peace terms covered in those exchanges, according to the newspaper’s source.
Alongside those diplomatic contacts, The Wall Street Journal reported that US President Donald Trump had told Gulf allies to prepare for a short, high-intensity military campaign after the following week’s US midterm elections. The reported warning contrasted with the effort to open a new negotiating process through the letter and follow-up discussions.
Sources told Al Jazeera that a meeting might take place within a week, with Doha and Istanbul identified as possible locations. That prospect remained tentative, as did the anticipated venue for any talks.
