Reuters: Qatar Submitted New Draft Agreement to Iran

A senior source told Reuters that Qatar has presented Tehran with a draft of a new agreement, which includes a timeline for addressing American and Iranian concerns, building trust, and there are indications that a response will be received by the end of this week. The official said that Qatari mediators presented the new draft agreement in Tehran last Sunday, and that Iran is studying the proposal. He clarified that the draft sets a seven-day timeline for addressing the concerns of both the American and Iranian sides, requiring them to take daily steps to build trust, and noted that the agreement’s timeline could begin early next week. Additionally, the informed source confirmed that several countries will serve as guarantors to the agreement, and pointed out that there were concerns before Sunday’s meeting that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would resume attacks on Iran this week. Tehran had also presented a similar revised draft weeks ago, resembling the memorandum of understanding signed between it and the American side last June. That draft called for a return to dialogue and trust-building, the lifting of the American blockade on Iran’s ports, and the release of its frozen funds abroad within seven days, with the Strait of Hormuz to be opened the following day. However, US President Donald Trump rejected it, then insisting that he no longer needed to negotiate with Iran over Hormuz. He also considered the American naval blockade on Iranian ports, along with sanctions, to be an effective and useful weapon for strangling the Iranian economy. Nevertheless, mediation efforts continued and intensified in recent weeks, especially as signs mounted of a potential resumption of war, with Netanyahu pushing Washington to pursue the military option.