Bessent Asks Beijing to Use Its Influence With Tehran to End War Amid Qatar Efforts
Key Facts
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent asked China to use its influence with Iran to end the war, in an initiative that David Ignatius of The Washington Post said came with the backing of President Donald Trump. The report quoted a U.S. official familiar with the matter as saying Beijing had already delivered the message to Tehran, placing China on the U.S. mediation track alongside other regional efforts. It was unclear whether the message had led to a change in Iran’s position or an agreement on steps to halt the fighting. The initiative comes as the Trump administration continues to combine diplomatic moves with threats to resume military action. The report described finding a way out of the war as the administration’s most urgent and difficult challenge.
The message to Beijing is part of broader efforts within the U.S. administration to engage with Tehran. The report said Vice President JD Vance led U.S. diplomacy on Iran and had sent a conciliatory message the previous month to Iranian security official Mohsen Rezaei. In a parallel channel, Trump discussed de-escalation in the Middle East by phone with Qatar’s emir, according to The Associated Press. A Qatari statement linked the call to mediation efforts aimed at reaching a comprehensive agreement to end the crisis. The multiple channels underscore Washington’s effort to keep the door to negotiations open while the military confrontation continues.
Iran’s position, however, does not point to an immediate readiness to enter nuclear negotiations with the Trump administration. The Associated Press quoted Middle Eastern government officials as saying Iran was reviewing proposals submitted by Qatar to address the dispute over its nuclear program. One official told the agency that Tehran remained unwilling to negotiate over its nuclear activities before Washington agreed to basic Iranian conditions for a ceasefire. Those conditions include ending the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports, lifting sanctions, unfreezing assets, compensating for war damage and ending hostilities in the region. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said, according to the agency, that his country’s framework for resuming negotiations includes reopening the Strait of Hormuz, setting a timetable for the start of talks and including the nuclear file.
The diplomatic efforts are unfolding alongside continued threats of escalation. The Washington Post reported that Trump had threatened to resume military action and that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had prepared for the possibility of escalation. In a separate development, Trump said Friday evening that the U.S. military had carried out new limited strikes on Iran targeting air defense systems, according to The Associated Press. Trump described the military action as “minor.” These steps show that contacts through China and Qatar are taking place while military activity has not stopped, as Tehran’s position on negotiations remains conditional on its demands being met.
Regional officials quoted by The Associated Press said mediators and Iran had discussed an interim agreement involving confidence-building measures over two days, including reopening the Strait of Hormuz on the second day. Mediators also worked on a framework under which Iran would halt its attacks in the strait in exchange for the United States lifting its blockade of Iranian ports, with further talks expected during the week the report was published. The agency did not say that these proposals had become an agreement, while Tehran continued to review Qatar’s proposals and demand preconditions. On the China track, Wang Yi said dialogue and negotiations were the way forward and that his country was ready to work with the parties to restore regional peace. Wang had met in Beijing with Ali Bagheri Kani, deputy secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, on November 2, and the two exchanged views on the regional situation, according to China’s Foreign Ministry.