TEHRAN (VINnews) — Qatar’s prime minister arrived in Tehran on Thursday for talks with senior Iranian officials, seeking to revive stalled diplomacy as the U.S.-Iran war nears the six-month mark and President Donald Trump said Washington will keep fighting “as long as necessary.”
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Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who also serves as Qatar’s foreign minister, met Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, officials from both countries said. Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said the discussions focused on de-escalating tensions, creating “conditions conducive to dialogue,” and restoring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz to the status quo that existed before Feb. 28.
That date marked the start of the war, when the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran. A June memorandum of understanding intended to pause fighting and open negotiations later collapsed, in part over control of the strait, a chokepoint that carried about one-fifth of the world’s oil supplies before the conflict.
Iran has said the waterway will remain closed until Washington meets its demands, including an end to a U.S. blockade of Iranian ports, compensation and the removal of sanctions. Oil flows through the strait have fallen sharply, from about 20 million barrels a day before the war to roughly 5 million barrels a day, according to industry and news reports.
Qatar said the Tehran talks also covered a proposed phased framework that would create a temporary joint Iranian-Omani shipping corridor through the strait and launch a joint project to clear mines from the waterway.
The mediation push collided with a hard line from Washington. In remarks highlighted Wednesday by Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst, reporting from Tel Aviv, Trump said the United States is “achieving a very big victory” but that the war “will continue as long as necessary.” Trump has separately said the conflict could end “fairly soon” while insisting he has set no deadline for negotiations.
The Trump administration has shifted more of its pressure campaign onto Iran’s economy, imposing additional sanctions that Iranian officials have described as “all-out economic war.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio has indicated the United States is leaning on economic measures rather than a return to large-scale military operations, according to reports cited in the Fox broadcast.
Inside Iran, the squeeze is visible. Yingst’s report showed long lines at gas stations in Tehran and cited rising inflation and a weakening currency. The economic strain has renewed concern that protests could erupt again.
Qatar, which hosts a major U.S. military base and has close ties to both Washington and regional governments, helped broker the June cease-fire. The visit comes amid strained relations between Doha and Tehran: Qatar has blamed Iran for hundreds of missile and drone attacks since the war began, and last month accused Iran of targeting one of its gas tankers in the strait. An Iranian general recently alleged that Qatar detained three downed pilots, a claim Doha has denied.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, speaking this week on Iranian television, framed the Strait of Hormuz as a central point of leverage in any talks. Tehran has argued the waterway should not return to prewar arrangements without political and economic concessions from the United States.
No breakthrough was announced Thursday. With fighting largely paused but diplomacy stalled, Qatar’s mission underscored how the war’s next phase is being fought as much over oil routes and sanctions as over the battlefield.