Senior Iranian negotiators are in Qatar for talks on a potential agreement with Washington, according to reports.
Senior Iranian officials arrived in Doha on Monday for talks with Qatari leaders on a possible agreement between Tehran and Washington, according to reports.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf travelled to the Qatari capital for meetings with Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, according to Reuters. Iran’s central bank governor is reportedly also part of the delegation.
Discussions are expected to focus on the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium and the possible release of frozen Iranian funds as part of a broader agreement, according to an official briefed on the visit.
The meetings come amid renewed diplomatic activity following comments by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said earlier Monday that a deal could potentially be reached “today”.
“We thought we might have some news last night, maybe today,” Rubio told reporters during a visit to New Delhi. He added that Washington believed there was “a pretty solid thing on the table” regarding reopening maritime transit routes through the Strait of Hormuz.
Rubio said the United States preferred “to have a good agreement,” while warning that “we’re either going to have a good agreement or we’re going to have to deal with it another way.”
However, Iranian officials cautioned against expectations of a swift final settlement.
“It is correct to say that we have reached a conclusion on a large portion of the issues under discussion,” Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told a weekly press briefing in Tehran.
“But to say that this means the signing of an agreement is imminent — no one can make such a claim,” he added.
U.S. President Donald Trump also wrote on his Truth Social platform that “the deal with Iran will either be a great and meaningful one, or there will be no deal.”
A ceasefire between US and Iranian forces has been in place since 8 April while negotiations continue, although tensions remain around Gulf shipping routes and maritime security.
Iran has maintained controls on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, with Baqaei saying Tehran would continue charging service fees for maritime management, while rejecting suggestions that Iran was seeking to impose tolls.
Regional and international diplomatic efforts have intensified in recent days.
On Saturday, Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, as well as leaders from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain, alongside representatives from Türkiye and Pakistan, joined a call with Trump to discuss negotiations.
