World

Qatar PM to Meet Trump as US Weighs Iran Nuclear Proposal

By Al Jazeera Staff

Qatar Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani will hold closed‑door talks with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday. The meeting comes as Washington reviews a two‑day proposal that Iran has developed with Qatari mediators. An unnamed U.S. official told Reuters that Vice President J.D. Vance will also speak with Sheikh Mohammed, who serves as Qatar’s foreign minister and has acted as an intermediary between Washington and Tehran.

Iran has intensified diplomatic efforts after Trump suggested the United States could resume full‑scale strikes on Iran. On Thursday, Iran offered the U.S. a new nuclear and peace proposal, to be discussed only after Washington meets Tehran’s seven demands. The U.S. is examining the proposal. Tehran has said it will not negotiate on its nuclear program with the Trump administration until the U.S. agrees to several core conditions that the Iranian government considers essential to any ceasefire agreement.

Iran maintains that its nuclear program is peaceful. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran possesses 440.9 kg (972 lb) of uranium enriched to 60 % purity, a technical step from the 90 % weapons‑grade level. The enrichment increase followed Trump’s 2018 withdrawal from the nuclear deal, which had capped enrichment at below 3.67 %. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned on Sunday that Tehran would “rain down hell” if the U.S. resumes attacks. He said the two‑day proposal was developed with Qatari mediators and is based on the seven‑day plan announced at the UN General Assembly in September.

Iran’s demands include lifting U.S. sanctions imposed after the collapse of a memorandum of understanding signed in Islamabad in June, reducing the U.S. military presence in the region, reinstating oil waivers granted in June as part of the MoU, releasing frozen Iranian funds—including those held in Qatar—and formally recognizing a new shipping route in the Strait of Hormuz negotiated by Iran and Oman while closing all other routes. Tehran also demands an end to the war on all fronts, including Israel’s attacks on Lebanon.

Araghchi held talks with 12 regional counterparts over 48 hours last week, calling for a regional security arrangement free from extra‑regional powers. Iran’s security chief Mohsen Rezaei warned Trump on Saturday against renewed attacks, saying: “Start war and you will face a devastating response.”

Trump warned on Sunday that Washington had identified additional targets in Iran should military action resume, but said it was “highly unlikely” to launch new strikes if negotiations yielded a strong agreement. Sheikh Mohammed said mediation efforts continue and that the U.S. has the intention and willingness to “take steps towards finding a solution,” after Trump confirmed on Friday that the White House was talking to Iranian representatives and that the team had “made a lot of progress with Iran.”

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said negotiations with Iran had not made progress. He told reporters in Florida on Sunday that while the war was unpopular, Trump “identified a very real threat” in Iran and had worked to stop it from pursuing a nuclear weapon. Rubio added that although the U.S. president prefers a diplomatic solution, Iranian demands are “not just unacceptable, but in some cases, outrageous and ridiculous and really not realistic.” He said, “I wouldn’t say we’re at the verge of a breakthrough.”

U.S. media reported that Trump was being pressed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Central Command commander Brad Cooper to resume attacks against Iran. An Axios‑quoted U.S. official said CENTCOM was preparing for the resumption of major military operations in Iran, awaiting orders from Washington. On Thursday, Trump told reporters the U.S. may have to “destroy” the rest of Iran, adding that people would “know soon enough” if he acted. He warned that U.S. forces have three aircraft carriers stationed in the region “fully locked and loaded,” ready to continue strikes if needed, and identified 38 bridges as potential targets.

The U.S. military has carried out limited strikes on Iran, including against its air defenses, at least twice over the past week, and fired on a commercial ship, disabling it on Saturday, which the U.S. said was attempting to breach its naval blockade on Iranian ports. Rubio said Washington would take “defensive” actions if needed, stating, “If there’s a clear and present threat to shipping or to our forces in the region, we have a right to defend ourselves.”

Meanwhile, the Aerospace Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) made threats echoing those of the Iranian foreign minister. IRGC Brigadier‑General Ali Belali said on Telegram that “the armed forces are at the ready, and if the enemy makes a mistake, Iran’s response will be devastating and severe.”