Trump to meet Qatar prime minister as Iran peace proposal faces U.S. rejection

President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet Sheik Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, Qatar’s prime minister and foreign minister, and Vice President JD Vance in Washington on Monday as diplomatic efforts to end the eight-month conflict with Iran intensify. The talks come after Iran presented a two-day proposal that would lift parts of the U.S. blockade and some sanctions in exchange for Tehran ending its own blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and halting attacks on shipping.

The United States has repeatedly dismissed the plan. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described Tehran’s conditions as “outrageous and ridiculous and really not realistic.” Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei defended the offer as the most reasonable on the table.

Despite the diplomatic push, senior U.S. and Gulf officials remain skeptical about a near-term breakthrough. Rubio said he does not expect a diplomatic resolution soon, and a senior United Arab Emirates official, Anwar Gargash, warned that a comprehensive political settlement appears difficult. > “We should… prepare for a long period of uncertainty in which neither a decisive resolution nor stable regional order can be taken for granted,” Gargash said.

The conflict continues to see active hostilities. Iranian state media reported a U.S. strike on Qeshm Island overnight, while Iran has attacked tankers in the Gulf and Strait of Hormuz and its Houthi allies have struck Saudi Arabia. A provincial official told Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency that the Qeshm strike did not damage vital infrastructure.

Trump told CNN that if negotiations produce a “strong agreement,” further strikes are unlikely, but he noted that the United States has identified 38 bridges as potential targets should military action resume.