Qatar is working on an interim agreement between the United States and Iran, said Tuesday, November 3, 2026 Majed Al Ansari. In Doha, the spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs assured that both sides would consider the proposals of the mediators. It maintains its hope of an agreement, without announcing a signature or timetable for implementation.
According to him, Washington and Tehran remain engaged in the process. Intermediaries exchange proposals between the two capitals, while discussions are still seeking to narrow their differences. The Qatari official thus distinguishes the continuation of contacts from their result: active negotiation does not constitute an agreement.
Interim agreement to rebuild confidence
At his weekly press conference, reported by The Peninsula, Al Ansari described a progressive approach. Doha is first seeking an initial agreement that would restore confidence and lead each party to meet its commitments on the ground. The question of guarantors would come after the conclusion of this first stage.
The spokesman did not make public the text of the compromise sought. It therefore did not establish a definitive list of US and Iranian obligations. The duration of a possible arrangement, its control mechanisms and its date of entry into force also remain to be specified.
A Qatari delegation returned to Doha on Monday after meetings in Tehran lasted more than three hours. Al Ansari presented these exchanges as positive. However, he warned that military escalation would complicate negotiations.
Anadolu, taking over Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, on Tuesday reported an American green light to the project presented by Qatari mediators, according to anonymous sources close to the case. This information is not a joint announcement of an agreement signed by Washington and Tehran.
Ormuz remains a central point of disagreement
On the same Tuesday, the spokesman stressed that freedom of navigation in the Strait of Ormuz and the Gulf could not be traded. It rejected threats against ships, whether Qataris or foreigners. This position accompanies the diplomatic effort, without announcing a new maritime arrangement.
On the Iranian side, a senior official anonymously quoted by Reuters believes, on the contrary, that an agreement remains distant. He claims that Tehran refuses US claims that they are excessive. This assessment does not contradict the existence of the trade described by Doha, but highlights the absence of an announced compromise.
Iran’s Chief of Staff Ali Abdollahi also reaffirmed Tuesday’s demands for sanctions, frozen assets and Ormuz. His requests constitute an Iranian position, not clauses accepted by the mediators.
At this stage, the Qatari announcement deals with a diplomatic objective and consideration of proposals. It does not confirm the cessation of the fighting or the reopening of the Strait in a manner agreed upon by both parties.
Cover: Qatar flags, archive photograph published in September 2011. Photo: Samrah Shahid / Creative Commons Qatar, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0. Integer photograph preserved, resized proportionally; Libnanews editorial dress added outside photography. This image does not represent the November 2026 negotiations.Photographic source·Licence CC BY 2.0.
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