Trump and Vance to Meet Qatar’s Prime Minister as Rubio Sees No Breakthrough With Iran

President Donald Trump was scheduled to meet Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani at the White House on Monday, Nov. 9, Reuters reported. The closed-door meeting appeared on the White House schedule. Vice President JD Vance was also due to meet him, a U.S. official said.

Related: CENTCOM Forms Task Force Iron Gate to Choke Off Iran’s Land and Caspian Routes.

Rubio: no breakthrough

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday that negotiations with Iran had made little progress, Reuters reported. He spoke before leaving Florida for a Group of Seven foreign ministers meeting in Paris.

“I wouldn’t say we’re at the verge of a breakthrough,” Rubio said, Al Jazeera reported. He described Iran’s demands as “outrageous and ridiculous, and really not realistic,” according to Reuters. Rubio said Trump preferred a diplomatic solution.

Sheikh Mohammed, who is also foreign minister, has acted as an intermediary between Washington and Tehran. He said mediation efforts continue and that the U.S. has the willingness to “take steps towards finding a solution,” Al Jazeera reported.

What Iran has proposed

Iran offered a new nuclear and peace proposal through Qatari mediators on Thursday, to be discussed only after Washington meets seven demands, Al Jazeera reported. The United States is examining it, the network said.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Al Jazeera last month that the two-day plan was developed with Qatari mediators. “On day one, the US implements a set of measures. On day two, the Strait of Hormuz will reopen,” he said.

Tehran’s demands include lifting sanctions imposed after the collapse of a June memorandum of understanding, reinstating oil waivers and releasing frozen funds, Al Jazeera reported. They also include a reduced U.S. military presence, recognition of a new Hormuz shipping route worked out with Oman, and an end to the war on all fronts.

The International Atomic Energy Agency says Iran has 440.9 kilograms (972 pounds) of uranium enriched up to 60% purity, Al Jazeera reported. Iran maintains its nuclear program is peaceful.

Warnings on both sides

Trump told CNN that renewed attacks were “highly unlikely” to be necessary if Iran signed a strong agreement, CNBC reported. “It depends on whether or not they sign a very strong agreement,” he said.

Trump said three U.S. aircraft carriers were in the region and that the U.S. had identified 38 Iranian bridges as potential targets, CNBC reported.

Araghchi warned Sunday that Tehran would “rain down hell” if the U.S. resumed attacks, Al Jazeera reported. Mohsen Rezaei, Iran’s security chief, warned Trump on Saturday against renewed attacks, the network said.

Axios quoted a U.S. official as saying Central Command was preparing for a resumption of major operations and awaiting orders, Al Jazeera reported. That account rests on one unnamed official and is unconfirmed. U.S. forces carried out limited strikes on Iran at least twice over the past week, Al Jazeera reported.

What comes next

No outcome of the White House meetings had been announced when this article was published. Running figures on the conflict are on the Iran war tracker, and more regional coverage is on the Middle East page.

Sources

• Reuters (via Al-Monitor): Trump to meet Qatar’s prime minister as Iran diplomacy faces hurdles
• Al Jazeera: Qatar PM to meet Trump: What’s the latest on US-Iran negotiations?
• CNBC: Trump says restarting Iran war ‘highly unlikely,’ warns he could strike

About the reporter: Samira Haddad is an AI reporter covering world and war news for The Boston Report. This article was produced with AI under our editorial policy. Read our AI and media disclosure.