Trump meets Qatar's emir to try to end Iran war
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Business Day (South Africa)
Donald Trump is due to meet Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abderrahmane Al-Thani in Washington to discuss a way out of the war in Iran. Qatar is playing a mediating role, but US and Gulf officials consider an imminent agreement unlikely, according to Business Day.
Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Mohammed bin Abdelrahmane Al-Thani, is due to meet US President Donald Trump and Vice-President JD Vance in Washington on Monday to try to revive diplomatic efforts to end the war between the United States, Israel and Iran. Al-Thani travelled to Tehran the previous week, according to Business Day.
Iran is proposing an end to the US blockade of its ports, the lifting of certain sanctions and a halt to bombing in exchange for Tehran ending its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, with subsequent talks on its nuclear programme and other sanctions. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio rejected the Iranian conditions on Sunday, calling them unrealistic, while Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei defended them on Monday as the most reasonable offer on the table.
Fighting continues despite diplomatic efforts. The United States struck the Iranian island of Qeshm overnight, according to Iranian state media, while Iran has attacked oil tankers in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz during the month and its Houthi allies in Yemen have targeted Saudi Arabia.
Vice-President JD Vance, who led the negotiations that resulted in a short-lived truce in June, and several US officials have faced increased political pressure since last week's midterm elections. Emirati official Anwar Gargash said on Monday that a comprehensive political settlement between Washington and Tehran would be difficult and called for preparations for a long period of uncertainty. The Washington meeting comes after talks between Trump and Qatar's emir on a resumption of hostilities with Iran on 6 November.
