Iran is reviewing a set of proposals presented by mediators that could shape the future of its nuclear programme, according to five officials briefed on the negotiations, representing a potential breakthrough in stalled diplomatic efforts to end its war with the United States.
Iran’s willingness to re-engage in nuclear talks, after weeks of refusing to budge, suggests recent mediation efforts led by Qatar to prevent a return to full-blown war have had some success, the officials said. They described the terms being reviewed as “concrete proposals,” without elaborating.
The Iranian foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The five officials, including an American and two Iranians, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive details of the talks, The New York Times reported.
Qatar has spearheaded a diplomatic blitz with Iran in the past week, the officials added, participating in two rounds of talks in Tehran and hosting a third in Doha. Two of them said that the Qataris have also held recent talks with Iranian officials in Armenia.
Vice President JD Vance has emerged as a key proponent of the Qatari-led efforts to avert a military escalation, according to three of the officials. He has also appeared to try and distance himself from President Trump by blaming the war for the Republicans’ heavy losses in the midterm elections this week.
Last month, Vance sent a letter to Mohsen Rezaei, the head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, proposing to hold direct peace talks that would also cover Iran’s nuclear programme.
Rezaei said the letter had shown that the United States had changed its tone toward Iran, which he described as a sign of the “Iranian nation’s strength and victory.”
Before the United States and Israel attacked Iran in late February, Vance was the figure in Trump’s inner circle who was most opposed to a full-scale war. At the time, he warned Trump that a conflict could cause regional chaos and untold numbers of casualties.
Iran’s nuclear programme, which Trump says is an effort to develop a bomb while the regime insists it is for peaceful purposes, has bedeviled efforts to find a long-term solution to end the war.
