As of about 6:45 AM IST, Monday 2 November 2026. Claims that could not be independently verified are flagged as such.
Iranian negotiators spent a third straight day in Doha on Sunday 1 November in talks with Qatari mediators, centred on a plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within two days of the United States meeting a set of Iranian demands. No agreement has been announced. The talks are racing the calendar: the US midterm elections are on Tuesday 3 November, and President Donald Trump has said he will not launch new strikes on Iran before the vote, without ruling them out afterwards.
This is a follow-up to our 31 October report on the marathon Tehran session that moved the talks to Doha.
What is new: a "two-day" plan
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Al Jazeera on Saturday that Iranian and Qatari negotiators had developed a proposal under which Iran would reopen the strait within two days of a potential agreement with Washington. According to Al Jazeera, Araghchi said Qatar had suggested shortening the implementation period to five days and that the current proposal brings it down to two. The Guardian reported that Iran had agreed to cut the timetable from seven days to two.
Speaking to state media on Sunday, Araghchi said discussions on the "two-day proposal" were "ongoing and progressing" but that no final conclusion had been reached, and that Tehran was prepared for "both defence and diplomacy". He said there are currently no plans for direct talks with the US delegation. According to state news agency IRNA, he said a positive outcome depends on Washington's response.
Iran's conditions
As reported by Al Jazeera, the Iranian demands include:
- lifting the US sanctions imposed after the "Islamabad memorandum" and restoring the oil waivers granted in June;
- releasing frozen Iranian funds, including those held in Qatar;
- reducing the US military presence in the region;
- recognition of shipping routes in the strait that Iran discussed with Oman, and an end to fighting on all fronts, including Israel's attacks on Lebanon.
The Guardian reported that Qatar is trying to negotiate the release of more than $6 billion in Iranian assets, a step that could open the way to reopening the strait and restarting talks on Iran's nuclear programme. Ali Nikzad, deputy speaker of Iran's parliament, signalled that Tehran would not negotiate on the nuclear issue "under any circumstances or under any pressure".
What Washington is saying
Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed Qatar-led talks were ongoing. "There are multiple talks. Talks have actually never stopped," he said, adding that the US would be open to a diplomatic solution. Rubio also said Trump had not decided whether to launch new strikes.
Trump said on Saturday that negotiations were "going fine but you know they're not very reliable", and that the US still had to "take care of" one or two sites, which he said could be done "in ten minutes". The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by phone on Saturday as Washington weighed renewed military action; HorizonDesk has not independently confirmed the content of that call.
At the Manama Dialogue in Bahrain on Sunday, US Assistant Secretary of State Donald Blome said: "The hand of negotiation has been extended ... At the same time, we've also been prepared to go in another direction. We just can't allow Iran to take this region and the global economy hostage."
Iran's security chief Mohsen Rezaei said he had received a letter from Vice President JD Vance seeking to revive talks, noted a "positive change" in tone and said he had not yet replied. IRNA also cited Araghchi as stressing Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei's order to answer any threat with an "immediate, effective, and unrestricted geographical response".
Attack on a Qatari LNG carrier
The mediation continued despite an attack on a Qatari ship. Qatar Gas Transport Company (Nakilat) said its LNG carrier Al Mayeda was struck by "unidentified objects" in the Gulf on Friday evening. No crew were injured, no environmental damage was reported, and the vessel is "in a safe condition, operational". Qatar's foreign ministry condemned the attack as "a dangerous act" and said an investigation is under way; no one has claimed responsibility. Reports, including from the Guardian and Bloomberg, said the Pakistan-bound cargo had received clearance from Tehran hours before it was hit; HorizonDesk could not independently confirm that detail.
UAE envoy Anwar Gargash said another round of escalation was not in anyone's interest, adding: "We are also, as we have shown before, braced for the worst."
Oil reaction
Oil eased early on Monday in Asia as the talks continued. Reuters reported Brent futures down about 1.5% at $111.72 a barrel and US crude down about 1.7% at $102.37, after Brent jumped 13.6% in October.
What to watch
- Any formal US response to the two-day proposal before or after Tuesday's midterms.
- Whether frozen-asset releases or sanctions waivers are announced, which would be the first concrete sign of a deal.
- Further attacks on shipping around Hormuz and new UKMTO advisories.
Related reading on HorizonDesk
- US and Israel draw up plans for new Iran strikes after the midterms
- The Mecca Pact: Saudi, Turkey and Pakistan push Iran talks
- Brent crude near $110 on Houthi attacks and Hormuz risk
Sources
- Reuters via CNBC: Iran, Qatari mediators hold third day of talks
- The Guardian: Negotiators "braced for worst" over US-Iran talks
- Al Jazeera: Mediators continue US-Iran negotiations - what we know
- Al Jazeera: Qatar LNG carrier struck by "unidentified objects"
- Reuters via CNA: Asia shares bend under AI stress; oil slips
