Qatar says US, Iran give ‘positive responses’ to mediation efforts

Qatar said Tuesday that it has received "positive responses" from both the US and Iran regarding ongoing mediation efforts between the two sides, stressing that efforts continue to end the state of "no war, no peace" and uncertainty in the region.

"Mediation efforts between Washington and Tehran are still ongoing, and there have been positive responses from both sides," Ibrahim Al-Hashimi, director of the Qatari Foreign Ministry's Media and Communications Department, told a press conference in Doha.

He stressed that mediators are working to end the state of "no war, no peace" in the region and put an end to uncertainty.

His remarks came a day after Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said he held "positive discussions" with US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance in Washington on reaching an agreement and bringing peace to the region.

"Pleased to meet with the US president and vice president in Washington, where we discussed the situation in the region and ways to make progress in US-Iran negotiations," Sheikh Mohammed said Monday on US social media company X.

"I appreciate the positive discussions on reaching an agreement and bringing peace to the region," he added.

Earlier Monday, an unnamed Iranian official told the semi-official Fars News Agency that reports of talks to reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for the release of $8 billion in frozen Iranian assets were false.

The official said Tehran would engage only within the framework of seven conditions it had conveyed to Washington. They include lifting the naval blockade and unilateral sanctions, ensuring safe passage through the strait, releasing frozen Iranian assets, and ending the war.

The US and Israel launched attacks on Iran on Feb. 28. A ceasefire was reached in April, but fighting between the US and Iran resumed in July as diplomatic efforts stalled.