Qatar Talks Lasting More Than 12 Hours Pave Way for Resumption of Direct US-Iran Dialogue
Key Facts
Qatari mediators held talks in Tehran for more than 12 hours on Friday, with discussions set to continue in Doha on Saturday, in an effort to bring Washington and Tehran back to negotiations on the nuclear program and other issues. A diplomatic source told Axios the talks had made "positive progress," but were still ongoing in an effort to clear the way for an agreement between the United States and Iran. An official familiar with the negotiations confirmed to Reuters that Iranian negotiators were in Doha for talks with Qatari mediators. The official added that the Qatari team had remained in frequent contact with U.S. negotiators. Sources did not confirm that direct talks between the U.S. and Iranian delegations had begun or that a U.S. delegation had arrived in Doha. Axios said the mediation aims to avert the possibility of war after the U.S. midterm elections scheduled for November 3.
The disagreement centers, according to Axios, on the sequencing of steps before negotiations resume. Washington wants Iran to make nuclear concessions as part of a return to dialogue, while Tehran is demanding that the United States first lift its naval blockade, release frozen funds and allow it to sell oil. Qatar is seeking to persuade both sides to take reciprocal steps within a few days and return to direct negotiations. The agenda includes Iran's nuclear program and other issues, according to the proposal reported by Axios. The formula leaves the two sides at odds over the sequence: Iranian nuclear concessions first, or U.S. measures on the blockade, funds and oil sales. Sources did not announce an agreement on the sequence or on a mechanism to implement it.
Among the measures mediators are working to secure is permission for U.N. inspectors to visit Iranian nuclear sites that were bombed. Qatar is presenting the visit as a confidence-building step, to be matched by the United States easing some sanctions, according to Axios. Published details did not identify the sites in question or specify the scope of the proposed sanctions relief. Sources also did not confirm that either side had accepted the trade-off. Qatar's foreign ministry said on October 27 that its delegation's visit to Tehran was part of ongoing consultations with partners and efforts to sustain mediation. Doha added that messages and proposals continued to pass through its channel as part of efforts to reduce tensions and prevent escalation.
The mediation effort follows a Qatari announcement on October 6 that talks and an exchange of messages between Washington and Tehran were continuing, with Doha serving as mediator. In a subsequent statement, Qatar's foreign ministry said remarks from both sides had raised the risk of escalation, while both had also affirmed the importance of diplomatic solutions through dialogue. Doha urged Iran to turn positive statements into practical steps, including ending threats to regional countries and ensuring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said his country had not closed the door to diplomacy and that messages were being conveyed to the United States through mediators. The current effort follows an agreement reached in June with the help of Qatar and Pakistan, which aimed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to shipping, end the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports and begin negotiations on a broader settlement that included the nuclear program. But the Associated Press said the agreement quickly collapsed after attacks resumed on both sides.
Alongside the diplomatic developments, Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei called for an immediate and effective response "without geographical limits" if a U.S.-Israeli attack were to resume. The Associated Press said he also urged Iranian forces to maintain combat readiness and update the target bank for the United States and Israel. The remarks came as a warning about a renewed attack and do not indicate that Khamenei ordered one. The date of the U.S. midterm elections, November 3, remains near on the timeline of tensions, while the Associated Press reported concerns that fighting could resume before the election. In the oil market, December Brent crude futures were near $115 a barrel at the opening of trading on Sunday evening, October 25, after reaching their highest level since April in the previous session. Axios reported that Brent had risen about 7% during the prior week amid reports of U.S. and Israeli plans to resume attacks after the midterm elections.
In separate economic news, U.S. real gross domestic product grew at an annual rate of 3.4% in the third quarter of 2026, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis' advance estimate, compared with growth of 2.2% in the second quarter. The bureau attributed the growth to increases in investment and consumer and government spending, partly offset by a decline in exports, while imports rose. Real final sales to private domestic purchasers accelerated to 4.9% in the third quarter, from 4.6% in the previous quarter. In trade, the estimated U.S. goods deficit widened to $134.9 billion in September, from $132.1 billion in August, an increase of $2.8 billion. Goods imports rose 2.4% to $344.1 billion; Reuters said capital goods imports jumped 7.5% amid demand linked to artificial intelligence infrastructure investment. The second estimate of third-quarter GDP and corporate profits is scheduled for release on November 25, 2026.