Trump to Meet Qatar PM as Doha Pushes 'Bridge Deal' to End Iran War

WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump will meet Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani at the White House on Monday, as Doha pushes a new "bridge deal" aimed at ending the war with Iran and restarting nuclear talks, according to the Associated Press and Axios. The meeting is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. Eastern (17:00 GMT) in the Oval Office, and the Qatari premier is also due to meet Vice President JD Vance separately beforehand.

Under the two-day framework reported by Axios, the United States would lift its naval blockade on Iranian ports and release a portion of Iran's frozen assets — reported at about $8 billion — on the first day, while Iran would invite inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency back to nuclear sites struck by US and Israeli forces. On the second day, the Strait of Hormuz would reopen and nuclear talks would resume, focused on Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium. Iran's foreign minister said on Sunday that Tehran was still waiting for a US response to the latest proposal, while Qatar denied reports that the talks had failed, saying both sides were still working toward an agreement.

The meeting follows Trump's remark on Sunday that fresh US strikes on Iran are "highly unlikely" if negotiations make progress, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio's defence of the war as necessary to stop a nuclear threat. Tehran has demanded an end to the blockade, sanctions relief, unfrozen assets, compensation for war damage and an end to hostilities across the region, including Israeli operations in Lebanon, as conditions for any ceasefire.

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