Iranian delegation leaves Qatar amid fears of post-midterm strikes
Qatari mediators met Iranian officials on Sunday for a third consecutive day in an effort to restart direct talks with Washington. Tehran says it has a two-day plan to halt attacks on Hormuz shipping and resume negotiations, contingent on the American response. The region is braced for possible US and Israeli strikes shortly after Tuesday’s midterm elections.
President Trump has sent mixed signals. On Saturday he said negotiations were “going fine” and that he was not “in much of a hurry”; on Sunday he told an Iowa rally that “the only reason why I’m not finished with Iran is I want to be nice”. The midterms therefore form a natural decision point. Markets have chosen to price the diplomatic track, but the Hormuz proposal remains unaccepted and the military option has not been withdrawn.