Qatar's Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, stated on Saturday that the country's mediation efforts between the United States and Iran are continuing to prevent the regional situation from spiralling out of control. Al-Thani reported that the US administration remains willing to find a solution following the midterm elections, indicating that Washington's interest in an agreement has not changed. He expressed confidence that a settlement could be reached, noting that significant progress has been made. "We cannot wait to reach a perfect agreement; we hope to reach a good agreement," Al-Thani said.
On Friday, US Vice President JD Vance reportedly began leading a quiet push for a new deal. According to Axios, citing two sources, Vance has been personally involved in indirect talks for the last two weeks to secure a new ceasefire and restart nuclear negotiations. Vance has reportedly spoken almost daily with Qatari Prime Minister Al-Thani, Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, and other mediators. White House envoy Steve Witkoff and presidential adviser Jared Kushner are also involved. Sources said Vance and the mediators have discussed holding a working-level technical meeting in the coming days, though it has not yet occurred. Two weeks ago, Vance sent a letter to Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, proposing a return to direct negotiations, which Iranian officials said created positive momentum.
President Donald Trump stated on Saturday that his administration is talking to representatives from Tehran, adding, "we are doing very well with Iran." On Friday, Trump suggested that Washington "could be an occupier" in Iran, claiming the US controls the Strait of Hormuz and is extracting record amounts of oil. He contrasted the situation with the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which he claimed killed 25,000 in October, calling that "a war." He argued the conflict with Iran, now in its ninth month, could not be called a war because "nobody's even wounded" in several months. Trump stated, "All we are is maybe an occupier. (We) could be an occupier." Regarding reported strikes near Qeshm Island on Friday, Trump initially declined to discuss them but acknowledged limited military operations, saying, "I don't want to talk about. We do minor strikes." He added that Iranian forces had constructed an anti-aircraft installation that the US destroyed within minutes.
