Iran Says Qatar Shared Ideas, Disputes Report of Formal Peace Draft

A senior Iranian official said Qatar conveyed “unacceptable ideas and not an offer,” disputing a separate account that the mediator presented Tehran with a formal seven-day draft to end the war.

A non-Iranian official briefed on the negotiations said Qatar presented a seven-day draft Sunday, Oct. 25, with daily confidence-building steps. The official said the steps could begin early the following week, several countries could serve as guarantors and Iran was expected to respond by the end of the week.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Wednesday that Iran remained in contact with intermediaries about ideas for implementing its own seven-day plan. “Iran continues to give diplomacy a chance to succeed,” he wrote. His post did not confirm that Iran had received a separate Qatari draft.

Washington wants Iran’s nuclear program addressed at the outset, while Tehran says the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports and sanctions on Iranian oil exports must be addressed first. The Iranian official said Tehran’s position on the nuclear issue had not changed.

Qatar and Pakistan have mediated efforts to end the conflict, which has disrupted global shipping and oil supplies. An interim agreement in June quickly unraveled. The dispute follows an earlier Qatar-mediated peace proposal to Iran.