Theme: Qatar

QatarEnergy signed a 20-year agreement to buy 3 million metric tons per year of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Woodside Energy’s facilities in Louisiana and, a week earlier, struck deals with Cheniere for up to 4 million tons per year through 2054, according to Reuters, in a text republished by gCaptain. Deliveries under the contracts begin in 2030 and 2031 and will make Qatar the largest buyer of US LNG. Unlike its neighbors, the small Gulf state has no viable route for exporting LNG other than the Strait of Hormuz. QatarEnergy CEO Saad al-Kaabi told Reuters he expects to sign additional supply agreements with US and other producers this year. The company declared force majeure on LNG supplies in March, after the war with Iran led to the blockade of Hormuz and attacks on its Ras Laffan facilities; the measure runs through December.

According to OilPrice, the Japan-Korea Marker, Asia’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) benchmark, topped $31 per million British thermal units this month and briefly rose above $33, compared with a little over $9 in January. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimated that the war between the United States, Israel and Iran cost the world some 60 billion cubic meters of LNG supply in the eight months to October. QatarEnergy has signed two long-term deals to buy US gas, 4 million tons a year from Cheniere Energy and 3 million tons a year from Woodside Energy, which will make it the biggest foreign buyer of US liquefied gas, according to Reuters. Global gas consumption fell 1%, or 35 billion cubic meters, in the first nine months of the year.

Qatar says it is working toward an interim deal between the United States and Iran to prevent renewed fighting, as diplomats try to bridge differences between the two sides. Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said on Tuesday that both countries remained committed to negotiations and were reviewing proposals from mediators, including Qatar. Al-Ansari warned that further escalation could complicate negotiations, after fresh U.S. strikes on Iran’s Qeshm Island on Tuesday.

Europe is entering the winter heating season with its lowest natural gas storage levels in more than a decade, and tight conditions in the global market may extend well into 2027, according to a report by the International Energy Agency (IEA). In European Union countries, storage sites are entering the 2026-27 season at their lowest levels since 2013. The effective halt of liquefied natural gas (LNG) flows through the Strait of Hormuz reduced loadings from Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. The IEA projects a 3% fall, or almost 20 billion cubic meters, in global LNG supply in 2026. QatarEnergy extended force majeure on LNG deliveries to most customers to the end of December 2026, according to OilPrice.

The chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces, Ali Abdollahi, presented a plan with five conditions for lasting security, including an end to hostilities on all fronts, the complete lifting of sanctions and the unfreezing of Iranian assets and the payment of war reparations, according to the Tasnim news agency. The plan also calls for recognition of Iran’s sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz and a guarantee against future aggression under a regional security framework for West Asia. Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said a Qatari delegation met Iranian officials in Tehran for more than three hours on Monday and that both sides are now reviewing Qatar’s proposal. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it downed two US MQM-170 reconnaissance drones south of Qeshm and destroyed an MQ-9 east of the strait, while the Revolutionary Guard navy told Brasil de Fato that the two MQM-170s were captured intact by electronic warfare without being destroyed. Iran’s Parliament speaker and chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said Iran’s military response to any miscalculation by the enemy will be unpredictable.

An Iranian military spokesperson warned that any renewed attack by the United States (US) will be met with a harder and broader response than Tehran's past retaliations. According to him, a new war would not remain limited to West Asia, and US facilities, equipment, personnel and interests in any location within Iran's reach could become targets. On the diplomatic track, Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said that efforts to bring the US and Iran closer are ongoing and that both countries are studying proposals.

Iran's foreign ministry said on Monday that contacts with the US on ending the eight-month war are continuing, after days of talks with Qatari mediators ended with altered proposals but no breakthrough, according to Reuters, in a text republished by Investing.com, adding that the basis of the dialogue remains Iran's seven-step proposal, now condensed for implementation within two days.

Qatari mediators and Iranian officials held two rounds of talks last week, and diplomatic efforts have made progress toward a framework in which Iran would cease its attacks in the Strait of Hormuz in return for the United States lifting its blockade on Iran's ports, according to two officials. On Sunday, Iranian negotiators were in Doha for a third consecutive day of talks with Qatari mediators aimed at reaching a deal to end the US-Israeli war on Iran, according to an official briefed on the discussions.

The liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier Al Mayeda, carrying cargo from Qatar to Pakistan, was struck by unidentified objects near the Strait of Hormuz, despite reports that Pakistani authorities had prior Iranian clearance for safe passage. Qatari carrier Nakilat confirmed in a statement that the attack happened on the evening of October 30, with no crew injuries and no reported environmental damage, and shipping data indicates the vessel changed course and headed back toward the Gulf.

Iranian negotiators left Doha on Sunday after three consecutive days of consultations with Qatari mediators on a deal to end the US-Israeli war on Iran, according to Reuters, in a text republished by Arab News. An official briefed on the talks told the agency on Monday that the departure was not due to difficulties in the discussions. Iran’s Foreign Ministry said on Monday it is weighing a proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within two days if the US meets its conditions.

Yamaha said it will not race in the Qatar Grand Prix next weekend over safety concerns in the Middle East, a decision that could expose the team to punishment. The team said it has not identified sufficient grounds to change its existing company-wide travel restrictions on traveling to the Middle East, with the Japanese government advising its citizens against non-essential travel to the region. MotoGP said it does not believe the decision reflects “the extensive assurances provided to all championship stakeholders”.

Gulf leaders met in Qatar in an effort to stave off a new escalation in the US-Iran war, according to NPR. Qatar has led intense mediation over the past 72 hours to prevent a new round of possible US attacks on Iran after Tuesday’s midterm elections, and the uncertainty has the entire Gulf region on edge.

Saudi Arabia condemned on Sunday the targeting of a Qatari liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker in the Gulf and called for urgent international action to protect shipping and global energy supplies, Arab News reported. The Al-Mayeda, a Qatar Gas Transport Company vessel, was struck on Friday night; the company said in a statement that no crew member was injured and no environmental damage was reported. In a post on X, the foreign ministry reiterated its “rejection of all violations that threaten the security and safety of maritime navigation and global energy supplies”.

Iranian negotiators were in Doha on Sunday for a third consecutive day of talks with Qatari mediators, Reuters reported, according to Mehr News. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed in an interview the previous night that his assistant had been sent to Doha for the talks, according to Mehr News. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Saturday, October 31, 2026, that Trump has not decided whether to launch new strikes against Iran, but would prefer to resolve the conflict diplomatically, according to The Hindu.

The Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security service, is investigating suspicions that a current Joint List member of Knesset received thousands of shekels from Qatar, money that was then reportedly used by the party during the election campaign, according to the Jerusalem Post. At this stage, investigators say they have no evidence of what the money was actually used for and that it is unclear what evidence suggests the funds originated from Qatar. Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari wrote on X: “We categorically deny allegations that Qatar has interfered in Israeli elections or funded any activities intended to influence their outcome.”

The Qatar Gas Transport Company (Nakilat) confirmed that its liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier Al Mayeda was hit by unidentified objects while transiting the Arabian Gulf on Friday evening, October 30, 2026. None of the crew members were injured and there was no environmental impact, according to the company. Nakilat said the vessel is operational and that an assessment of the consequences of the incident is under way, according to TASS.

The foreign ministers of the US and Iran said that a diplomatic end to the war is still possible, with no direct US-Iran talks planned. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran would decide whether talks are direct or indirect only after Washington accepted its conditions. The statements came after more than 12 hours of discussions between Iranian and Qatari envoys in Tehran on Friday, according to Reuters, in a text republished by CGTN.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran’s conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz include lifting the sanctions imposed after the Islamabad memorandum, reducing US forces in the region, restoring oil waivers and releasing frozen Iranian funds, including those held in Qatar. Araghchi said talks are under way with Qatari mediators on a plan to reopen the Strait within two days if the United States meets those conditions, according to Al Jazeera.

Iranian negotiators met in Doha on Saturday with Qatari mediators to discuss paths out of the war in the Gulf, according to Reuters, which cited a source briefed on the negotiations. The meeting comes as diplomats try to avert new fighting after this week’s US midterm elections.

Qatari mediators held more than 12 hours of talks in Tehran on Friday to restart direct negotiations between the United States (US) and Iran, Hindustan Times reported. The negotiations are to continue in Doha, Qatar, on Sunday as regional powers seek a diplomatic breakthrough. An official briefed on the talks told Reuters that Qatari mediators returned to Tehran on Friday as part of efforts to reach a deal between the US and Iran.

The Mossad has joined the Shin Bet security service's investigation into alleged foreign influence in this week's national election, Hebrew media outlets reported Friday. According to the Jerusalem Post, the Mossad will assist in areas falling under its remit, including the possibility that Qatar was behind payments to the Joint List's apparatus. The Central Elections Committee has repeatedly said that the scope of the investigation is limited and that the results of Tuesday's election, which yielded fresh parliamentary gridlock, were not in question.

Qatari mediators returned to Tehran on Friday as part of efforts to reach a deal between the US and Iran, an official told Reuters, in a text published by Middle East Eye.

QatarEnergy is buying long-term supplies of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States and other suppliers as part of a strategy to build a trading and arbitrage hedge that would generate revenue if exports through the Strait of Hormuz are disrupted, according to Reuters. “In a scenario where you have a closure of the strait, which is the true contingency that we're looking to have, you'd immediately see a spike in the gas price and you'll be able to generate revenue for QatarEnergy that otherwise wouldn't be generated,” CEO Saad al-Kaabi said.

Qatar denied interference in Israel’s elections and called the accusations ridiculous and dangerous in equal measure. “Qatar should not be used as a scapegoat for the political failures of certain Israeli politicians,” the country’s statement said, according to the Jerusalem Post.

The chair of Israel’s Central Elections Committee, Justice Noam Sohlberg, has asked the Shin Bet to investigate “serious suspicions” of foreign interference in Tuesday’s election, according to the Times of Israel, with Hebrew media reporting suspicions that Qatar had sent significant funds to Israel to influence the Arab vote.

Regional mediators led by Qatar are working to convince Iran to allow UN inspectors to return to its bombed nuclear sites in return for some sanctions relief from the US, according to Axios. The mediators are trying to reach a diplomatic deal to restart negotiations between the US and Iran and prevent the resumption of war after the US midterm elections, according to TASS.

Qatar presented Iran with a proposal that, according to reports, would give United Nations (UN) inspectors access to Iranian nuclear sites bombed in previous rounds of fighting in exchange for some US sanctions relief, according to The Times of Israel. A senior Iranian official told Reuters, cited by Middle East Eye, that his country could not work with what had been presented and that Tehran would show no flexibility on the nuclear issue.

QatarEnergy has extended to the end of the year the force majeure on deliveries of liquefied natural gas (LNG), in force since April 2026, leaving Europe and Asia without part of the contracted supply heading into the winter, according to OilPrice. Italian utility Edison confirmed it received the notice from the state firm and said it will stop receiving three cargoes at the Adriatic LNG terminal. The force majeure also covers the markets of Pakistan and Bangladesh, according to the publication.

Qatari mediators presented Iran with a new draft deal on Sunday to end the war with the US and Israel, and Tehran is expected to send a response by the end of the week, an official briefed on the negotiations said on Wednesday, according to Reuters, in a text republished by Al Arabiya English. The draft sets a seven-day timeline addressing both Tehran’s and Washington’s concerns and lays out daily confidence-building steps that each side must take, the official said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin received Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Moscow for bilateral talks on the sidelines of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum, according to the Russian state agency TASS.

Qatar and Iran discussed the Middle East war and the blockaded Strait of Hormuz at a meeting in Moscow, the emir's office said. Iran's navy said an oil tanker caught fire after striking naval mines east of the Strait of Hormuz, after the vessel entered a prohibited area with its tracking systems switched off.

Qatar’s emir met with Iran’s president to review the current state of relations between Tehran and Doha, according to Mehr News. The two sides stressed the importance of expanding political and economic relations and of using existing capacities to raise the level of bilateral cooperation, the agency reported.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will take part in the Eighth Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) summit in Moscow, according to TASS — five bilateral meetings are expected during the day, including with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

Qatar is working on an agreement between the United States and Iran under which both sides would make mutual concessions within five days, according to The New York Times, cited by Sputnik, which heard from diplomatic sources. Under the outline, Iran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping and the United States would reportedly lift its naval blockade of Iranian ports. The main obstacle is deciding exactly when each side makes its concessions.

QatarEnergy signed a deal with Cheniere to buy 4 million tonnes a year of liquefied natural gas (LNG) through 2054, according to The Cradle. Deliveries will be on an FOB basis and are expected to start in 2031, running through 2054, according to The Peninsula Qatar.

Qatar, Türkiye, Pakistan and Indonesia signed in Doha on Wednesday a memorandum to deepen defence industry cooperation, with joint production, technology transfers and more closely integrated supply chains — and the Qatari Defence Ministry says the “Badr” memorandum targets defence manufacturing, capabilities, technical training and research and development, according to Al Jazeera.

Qatar and France called for a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza under the agreed ceasefire arrangements and an end to settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank, according to TRT World. The two countries reaffirmed the need to restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz without constraints or fees, according to a joint statement from the Élysée Palace. Macron and Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani backed full implementation of the Gaza ceasefire and a diplomatic way out of tensions with Iran, according to Al Jazeera.

Turkey, Qatar, Pakistan and Indonesia signed in Doha on Wednesday a memorandum of understanding for the joint production of military hardware and expanded cooperation in military training, research and development, according to Middle East Eye. Turkey’s defence ministry said the agreement will be known as the “Badr deal”, a reference to the Battle of Badr in 624, and that it holds significant military and economic importance. Reuters, citing the Turkish ministry, described an agreement to boost defence cooperation and strengthen the four countries’ defensive capabilities.

Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and French President Emmanuel Macron discussed ways to strengthen economic, investment and defence cooperation at Lusail Palace in Doha, according to TRT World. The French tour of the Gulf from October 19 to 21 aims, according to the French presidency, to consolidate strategic and economic partnerships with Gulf states and to support multilateral initiatives to restore regional stability and safeguard freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.

A draft program seen by Reuters has Qatar building two gas-fired power plants within three years and QatarEnergy supplying the gas under a 20-year liquefied natural gas (LNG) contract, with private financing in place of Lebanese public money, according to OilPrice. The program includes two 825-megawatt combined-cycle plants, one at Deir Ammar in the north and one at Zahrani in the south.

French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Kuwait on Monday, where he was welcomed by Emir Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, TRT World reported. The four-country tour seeks additional oil and diesel and will take him to the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar by Wednesday; according to the broadcaster, the trip is also meant to improve the safety of energy shipping routes disrupted by the war between the United States and Iran.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps reported that a second supertanker struck a naval mine and caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, and Iran’s navy said an oil tanker caught fire in the Sea of Oman, according to Al Jazeera. United States Central Command (Centcom) said the “vast majority” of Iran’s attempted attacks on ships in the strait failed and that the waterway remains open, and spokesperson Tim Hawkins told Fox News that about 97 percent of vessels trying to cross the strait had done so without being struck, many with US military protection, according to Middle East Eye. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran presented a concrete seven-day plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, conveyed through Qatar, according to Iranian state broadcaster Press TV, cited by Middle East Eye; he told RT that, if the necessary conditions are met, the Strait can be reopened and normal maritime passage restored within seven days, in exchange for Washington lifting its naval blockade, easing restrictions on Iranian oil exports and releasing frozen Iranian assets.

Israeli digital advertising agency Discover-Tech spied on internet users through a sprawling network of online ads that it used to track targets and help hack their devices, the research groups Citizen Lab and Confiant said, in a report by The Jerusalem Post. Its services gave Candiru, an Israeli spyware company blacklisted by the US government, and other Israeli surveillance firms access to advertising platforms run by Google, Comcast, Russia’s Yandex and others. According to Citizen Lab, a powerful form of Candiru spyware delivered through Discover-Tech’s ads compromised 45 Windows devices at the Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera between 2024 and 2025, confirmed through network logs from the media group. Google said it had collaborated with Citizen Lab and Confiant on the investigation and kicked Discover-Tech off its ad platforms for “systematically violating our policies.”

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Pakistan and Qatar continue to serve as intermediaries between Iran and the United States and that Tehran and Washington continue to exchange communications, according to TASS. He said Iran is reviewing US proposals for a seven-day plan to restore security in the Strait of Hormuz.

International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) President Mirjana Spoljaric said she met former Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Qatar on two separate occasions to arrange a visit to Israeli hostages held in Gaza, according to The Jerusalem Post. Spoljaric said the ICRC had no access to the hostages.

Turkey, Qatar and Kuwait condemned Houthi attacks on Saudi airports earlier this week, which killed three Saudi nationals and damaged property, according to Middle East Eye. Turkey’s Foreign Ministry denounced “in the strongest terms” the strikes on Abha International Airport in the south and King Khalid International Airport, according to the same report.

A tanker 51 nautical miles north of Madinat ash Shamal, Qatar, reported being struck by multiple projectiles, with casualties, according to the British agency UKMTO — which said authorities were investigating and advised caution in transit, without specifying the ship’s origin.

Qatar, as mediator, says the United States and Iran remain engaged in indirect talks aimed at ending the conflict, despite an apparent deadlock, according to the Middle East Eye, citing the Qatari foreign ministry.

Qatar has put forward a new set of proposals on the regional situation as it continues mediating between Iran and the United States, Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni said after talks in Doha, according to Sputnik. Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani presented assessments and proposals for Momeni to convey to the Iranian president upon his return to Tehran.

Senator Chris Murphy said the Pentagon denied him access to Al Udeid air base in Qatar, according to the Times of India. In Riyadh, Murphy said there is an active, unprecedented and unconstitutional effort to hide from Congress the costs of the war against Iran.

Iranian lawmaker Alaeddin Boroujerdi said that a United States (US) proposal was conveyed to Tehran through the Qatari mediator, according to the lawmaker himself. The Iranian government confirmed it had received the US response to the Qatari-mediated proposal, without disclosing its content, according to spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani.

The United States sent one additional Patriot battery to Saudi Arabia to protect a key oil facility and another to Qatar to protect a natural gas facility, according to Axios, in a report published by Middle East Eye. Gulf allies, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, already operate their own batteries, but have relied on Washington for additional protection as they have borne the brunt of Iran's retaliation for US and Israeli attacks.

The United States deployed two additional Patriot air defense batteries to protect oil and gas facilities in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, according to TASS, citing an Axios report. According to that report, Washington wants to assure its allies that it will protect their key energy sites in case a decision is made to resume a full-fledged operation against Iran.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi received in Doha, via Qatari mediators, the US feedback on the seven-day trust-building plan, according to Arab News. The main disagreement is over sequencing of the plan, which seeks a return to an enhanced version of a memorandum of understanding signed in June, according to Arab News. Iran’s Defence Ministry spokesperson says Tehran seeks peace while defending its rights, security and interests, according to Mehr News.

Qatar’s prime minister said, in an interview with British journalist Piers Morgan, that whoever is responsible for the situation in Gaza is a “war criminal” and that nothing justifies the acts, according to Al Jazeera. He said that more than 1,400 Gazans have been killed since the ceasefire came into effect. He further conditioned ending the war with Iran on agreement on Tehran’s right to peaceful nuclear power with removal of sanctions, freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz under international law and reform of regional security arrangements.

Indirect talks between the United States and Iran aimed at ending the seven-month war continue with Qatar as mediator, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, and Iran's proposal makes the start of wider peace talks, including discussions of its nuclear programme, conditional on the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, according to Al Jazeera.

The spokesperson for Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Al-Ansari, said the prolongation of the armed conflict between the United States and Iran in the Middle East and regional instability carry grave consequences for the international economy, according to TASS. Al-Ansari added that the region provides the world with energy products and also with items important to international food security, such as urea, and to industry, such as helium, petrochemicals and aluminium.

Qatari mediators are likely to hold talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in New York and separately with the US side on Monday or Tuesday, an official briefed on the negotiations told Reuters, in a text republished by The Business Standard. The semiofficial ISNA news agency later confirmed that Araghchi would meet the mediators on Monday morning, New York time, also in The Business Standard report. The talks are expected to focus on an amended version of a seven-day proposal Iran presented last week on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, according to Reuters.

QatarEnergy extended force majeure notices and will not be able to deliver liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargoes to Italian utility Edison or some Asian clients while the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, according to Reuters. Edison said QatarEnergy would cancel a further six cargoes, taking the total undelivered shipments to 35. Qatar exported just 18 LNG cargoes to end-August, down from 509 in the same period last year, according to data intelligence firm ICIS.

A source close to Iran’s delegation to the United Nations (UN) said there is no plan for a new round of negotiations with the United States in New York, according to the Mehr News, citing IRNA. The source said Iran’s positions were conveyed to the United States last Tuesday through the Qatari mediator and that Tehran is awaiting the American side’s response. US President Donald Trump told Axios he expects more talks with Iran as soon as this week and that Tehran wants a deal, according to RT. Trump also confirmed that the resumption of full-scale hostilities with Iran remains on the table.

The Strait of Hormuz now has only a handful of ships sailing each day, either at their own risk or escorted by the US Navy, a tiny fraction of the traffic that passed through the waterway before the first strikes on Iran earlier in 2026, according to El País. Qatar, the world’s second-largest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG), has been forced to cancel the bulk of its sales to the European Union (EU) and Asia citing “force majeure” over the closure of Hormuz. Continental reserves of LNG, key for industry and heating, are at their lowest in more than a decade and about 20 percentage points below where they usually stand at this time of year.

Iran treated the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz as the implementation of a memorandum of understanding already signed with Washington. According to the Russian agency TASS, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told CBS that the resumption of normal shipping through Hormuz should follow the memorandum of understanding between Tehran and Washington and that Iran remains committed to the text and willing to implement it. According to Sputnik Globe, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran has sent Washington, through Qatar, a concrete seven-day plan to reopen the strait and restart negotiations if the United States fulfills the agreed conditions, and under the plan the strait would reopen on day six and talks on a final agreement would begin on day seven. Also according to TASS, Pezeshkian conditioned a meeting with Donald Trump on the United States showing that it does not intend to overthrow the Iranian government. On the margins of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), the foreign ministers of Oman and Iran discussed efforts to ensure safe navigation through Hormuz.

Iran’s proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and resume talks on its nuclear programme in seven days is conditioned on the United States lifting its naval blockade, waiving sanctions on Iranian oil sales and observing a ceasefire that would include Lebanon, according to The Hindu. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi detailed the proposal on September 24 at a private gathering on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York, according to one attendee. Pezeshkian hosted the prime minister of Qatar on September 25; Qatar has served as a mediator, including during hours of indirect Iranian-U.S. talks at the U.N. this week.

Iran has conveyed to the United States, through Qatar, a concrete seven-day plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said at the United Nations (UN) on Friday: if the necessary conditions are met, the strait can be reopened and normal maritime passage restored within seven days. The timeline starts only when the United States accepts the plan — “if they accept this plan tomorrow, the seven-day period will start from tomorrow,” he said. According to Tehran, the steps required of Washington are all already in the Memorandum of Understanding.

Iran has conveyed to mediators its conditions for returning to negotiations to end the war, and Tehran is pressing for the United States to return to the memorandum of understanding (MoU) before November’s midterm elections. Iran’s security chief, Mohsen Rezaei, said he sent the conditions through Qatar, including an end to the war on all fronts and an end to the naval blockade. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran wants the Americans back in the memorandum before the midterms. The New York Times reported that Iran proposed a seven-day plan to end the war.

Envoys of US President Donald Trump, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, met Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi for about three hours on Tuesday, 22 September 2026, on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly in New York — the first round of talks since the June ceasefire collapsed, according to the BBC. The meeting was mediated by Qatar and no breakthrough was announced; Witkoff said a round of discussions had been completed “that we hope will prove constructive and promising,” and Tehran repeated its demand that Washington end its “acts of aggression.” Hours earlier, in the address that opened the Assembly, Trump said he would decide between a deal with Iran and “annihilating the Islamic Republic,” and said he believed a deal would come right after November’s congressional elections. Oil prices fell after the talks were announced, according to Gulf News, which carries the Associated Press coverage.

Qatar’s prime minister and foreign minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, condemned Israel’s declared rejection of the roadmap to complete the implementation of the plan to end the war in Gaza, at a closed meeting of heads of state and government convened by French President Emmanuel Macron, UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations (UN) General Assembly in New York, according to Mehr News, citing Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. According to the ministry, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman urged the international community to press Israel to meet its obligations under the Gaza ceasefire agreement and to halt violations of Palestinian rights, and reaffirmed Qatar’s support for a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital. Israel rejected the 15-point plan put forward by the mediators in August and conditions any withdrawal from Gaza on Hamas disarming, according to Mehr News.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said the contact with the United States on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) was carried out through a Qatari mediator, and that its purpose was to convey Iran’s conditions: an end to the war on all fronts, a halt to US military actions and the naval blockade, an end to the economic war and the release of the country’s frozen assets, according to Mehr News. According to The Guardian, the three-hour meeting between Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US envoy Steve Witkoff was mediated by Qatari diplomats and was attended for most of its duration by Qatar’s prime minister and foreign minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani; Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian addresses the General Assembly on Wednesday, 23 September 2026.

Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, said on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, at the 81st United Nations (UN) General Assembly that the Gulf is going through “one of the most dangerous phases” because of the US-Israeli war on Iran, and argued the crisis can be resolved through diplomacy, with the Strait of Hormuz reopened to navigation, according to Al Jazeera. He said the war is the “cumulative result of years” of postponing diplomatic solutions and called for a “regional system of collective security”, saying that without one “it has become possible for a war to erupt”. Sheikh Tamim called Israel’s expansion in the occupied West Bank “aggression” and said “what has transpired in Gaza is genocide in every sense of the word”.