DOHA: A Qatari draft deal to end the war is now with Iran, and Tehran is due to reply before the weekend, an official briefed on the talks said.
Qatari mediators handed the new draft to Iran on Sunday, the official said on Wednesday. Reports on Wednesday therefore gave two views of the same talks. The official briefed on the negotiations and a senior Iranian official differ on whether Doha tabled a formal text or only ideas.
What the Qatari draft deal contains
The draft lays out a seven-day timeline that answers concerns in both Tehran and Washington. Each side must take a confidence-building step every day.
The official said the clock could start early next week. Several countries would stand as guarantors, though the official did not say which ones.
Qatar and Pakistan have led the mediation on the war that the US and Israel began in February. The fighting has hit global shipping and oil supplies, and it has spread across the Middle East.
Iran’s reaction to the Qatari draft deal
A senior Iranian official gave a different picture. The official said Doha offered ideas that Tehran finds unacceptable, and not a formal plan to end the war.
The same official added that Tehran will bend nowhere on the nuclear file. In addition, Iran’s Foreign Ministry warned of a devastating impact on markets if Israel starts a new attack.
Fears of renewed strikes
Ahead of Sunday’s meeting in Tehran, officials feared that Israel’s prime minister might restart attacks on Iran this week. Netanyahu faces voters in a general election, as he seeks another term.
Last Friday, US President Donald Trump repeated his threats to strike Iran again. Iranian security officials, meanwhile, told a news agency that Tehran has detailed plans to hit Gulf undersea cables should the US and Israel attack again.
Earlier mediation produced an interim peace deal in June. However, it fell apart quickly. The new Qatari draft deal therefore faces doubts from the start.
Pressure on Saudi Arabia and the region
Meanwhile, Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis have hit Saudi Arabia again and again in recent weeks. The kingdom is the world’s top crude exporter, and the attacks add urgency to the mediation.
The Qatari effort follows other diplomatic contact. Qatar’s emir met Iran’s interior minister, Eskandar Momeni, in Doha on October 6.
Pakistan’s army chief has also played a mediating role between Washington and Tehran. Regional states have kept up talks with Iranian leaders.
What happens next
If Iran accepts, the seven-day schedule would test whether each side keeps its promises. Guarantor countries would watch the daily steps and report on compliance.
If Iran rejects the draft, the risk of renewed fighting grows, and Qatar and Pakistan would have to start the mediation again. Trump has said he might restart operations after the midterm elections unless Iran agrees to a deal.
For now, the Qatari draft deal is the only formal text on the table, and everyone waits for Tehran’s reply at the end of the week.
