Washington's Answer to Iran Misses a Second Deadline
No formal American reply has reached Tehran, a day after the first deadline passed and on the day Qatar had hoped to deliver one. Doha is still shuttling. “We are exchanging messages between the parties, and we’re working towards establishing a common ground in order to get into a deal that would save all of us from the repercussions of the conflict,” said its foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari.
Abbas Araghchi has meanwhile hardened rather than softened. In his own ministry’s transcript he says: “I categorically state that there has been no change whatsoever in Iran’s positions… At present, there has been absolutely no discussion of any flexibility on our part.” He also placed the terms beyond his own gift, noting “there are conditions set by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, and these conditions must be fulfilled for the Strait of Hormuz to be opened”. That sits flatly against the American official who told reporters Iran had indicated flexibility on the nuclear file, and against a president who denied on social media having offered anything at all. The war is in its eighth month, and Washington has just sanctioned ten more individuals and entities, some of them in China and Hong Kong. Watch whether Qatar produces a text either side will read.