Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi received US feedback via Qatari mediators in Doha on Tuesday on a seven-day plan aimed at building trust between Washington and Tehran, with sequencing the main sticking point, an official, who was not Iranian but was briefed on the talks, told Reuters.
– Araqchi is expected to discuss the US response in Tehran on Wednesday, the official said.
– Iran last week presented a seven-day proposal under which Araqchi said the Strait of Hormuz could be reopened and normal maritime passage restored if the necessary conditions were met. US President Donald Trump subsequently rejected the proposal, prompting further Qatari mediation.
– The Qatari mediators conveyed the feedback they had received from Washington on Monday, meeting Araqchi and his team on their way back from the United States, the official said.
– The document being circulated outlines a seven-day period of trust-building aimed at returning the two sides to an enhanced version of the memorandum of understanding agreed in June, including concrete steps on Iran’s nuclear programme, the official said, without further elaboration.
– The disagreement centres on the sequencing of the steps rather than the components of the plan, the official added.
– Qatar has been shuttling messages between Washington and Tehran in an effort to end the conflict and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The June memorandum of understanding led to a brief ceasefire and included provisions on the strait and Iran’s nuclear programme.