President Donald Trump met Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani behind closed doors Monday, as his administration pursues diplomatic efforts to end the war with Iran while expanding military and economic pressure on Tehran.
Al Thani, whose government has been central in mediating talks between Washington and Tehran, also met Vice President JD Vance, who has taken a leading role in negotiations. No official readout of the discussions with either Trump or Vance was immediately available.
The president’s 45-minute meeting came amid reports that regional mediators had circulated proposals for a limited agreement that could reopen the Strait of Hormuz within two days, potentially providing a first step toward a broader U.S.-Iran settlement.
Under one proposed arrangement, Washington would lift its naval blockade on Iran and release some of Iran’s frozen funds on the first day, according to a report by Axios citing regional sources. Iran would respond by formally inviting international inspectors to visit nuclear facilities damaged by U.S. strikes.
On the second day, Iran would reopen Hormuz to commercial traffic, with negotiations over its stockpile of highly enriched uranium to follow.
A Qatari official, however, disputed published reports of the deal’s terms, including provisions on frozen Iranian funds and uranium enrichment, while confirming that Doha’s mediation efforts were actively continuing.
It remains unclear whether Washington would accept a deal to restore Hormuz shipping without securing substantive restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program. Tehran has insisted that some U.S. concessions must precede broader talks.
Asked by MBN whether Washington would accept restrictions on Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile without requiring its removal from the country, and what conditions it would set for easing the blockade and releasing frozen Iranian funds, a U.S. State Department spokesperson said: “As a general matter we don’t comment on diplomatic discussions or negotiations.”
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested Sunday that the Trump administration did not consider a deal with Tehran imminent.
“The president would always prefer to solve this and every problem diplomatically. Sometimes that’s not possible, unfortunately,” Rubio told reporters before departing for the G7 foreign ministers’ meeting in Paris.
He described many of the Iranian demands as “outrageous and ridiculous” and said behind-the-scenes negotiations had made little progress.
Trump, for his part, sounded less inclined toward further escalation in an interview with CBS’s 60 Minutes, recorded Friday and broadcast Sunday. Asked whether he intended to intensify the Iran war following last week’s midterm elections, he said: “Well, I’m not looking to. I don’t think there’s any reason to.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, meanwhile, stressed Monday that Trump was keeping his options open, and could move diplomatically or militarily at will.
“Iran is devastated,” Hegseth told reporters, describing the country as being “in the weakest position it’s been in a very, very long time.”
“The president has the upper hand on any path that he chooses to take,” he added, saying the Pentagon was ready for whatever Trump ordered.
Washington is also preparing to sustain, and potentially increase, pressure on Iran without necessarily launching another major round of airstrikes.
On Saturday, U.S. Central Command announced the creation of “Task Force Iron Gate,” a new effort to stop Iran from transporting weapons, sensitive technologies and sanctioned materials through its land borders and across the Caspian Sea, which provides access to Russian and Central Asian supply lines.
The roughly 20-person team, based at CENTCOM headquarters in Tampa, Florida, is set to coordinate with other agencies to disrupt those supply routes. The initiative extends Washington’s existing naval blockade, which CENTCOM says has prevented Iran from exporting more than $25 billion in crude oil.
“The establishment of Task Force Iron Gate reinforces the success of our ironclad blockade against Iran at sea,” CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper said in the announcement.
Cooper said the task force would also seek to restrict Iran’s ability to rebuild weapons factories, replenish its military and finance armed groups.
A June report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies identified the Caspian Sea, Pakistan and China as potential routes through which Iran may seek to obtain the components to rebuild its damaged military capabilities.
The initiative comes as U.S. forces remain prepared for renewed major strikes if Trump orders them. Limited military operations have continued, including reported strikes near Iran’s Qeshm Island in the past week, while alleged Iranian attacks on commercial shipping have raised concerns about further escalation.
Regional and European governments have also stepped up efforts to prevent more fighting, concerned about the consequences of renewed war for their own security.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, speaking after meeting Rubio and other G7 counterparts in Paris on Monday, said Berlin saw no military solution to the conflict and supported continued indirect negotiations.
But he also said Germany would maintain economic pressure on Tehran until it demonstrated a willingness to negotiate seriously over its nuclear program, regional activities and freedom of navigation through Hormuz.
Berlin plans to host another summit on the war in early December, with the participation of Britain, France, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.
