Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, the main mediator between the United States and Iran, acknowledged in closed-door talks that gaps between Iran and the United States remained wide.
However, he added, Qatar and other mediators are working to bridge those differences, two sources familiar with the details said. The Jerusalem Post.
It is already clear that any potential agreement will be implemented in stages rather than immediate and simultaneous steps. Consequently, beyond the content of the measures themselves, one of the main points of contention concerns the sequence of these measures and the question of which party will take the first step.
One reason for Al Thani’s meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday was to reassure the Iranians that the US president is sincere in reaching a deal, a source familiar with the matter said.
On Wednesday, Trump said: “The United States has won (the war). It’s just a question of when we’ll stop. We want to win 100 percent, not 90 percent.”
Al Thani told G7 foreign ministers on Tuesday that Trump was currently allowing about two weeks for diplomatic efforts to exhaust all possibilities to reach an agreement.
Rezaei: Iran will not allow any enriched nuclear material to leave Iran
This comes after Iran’s security chief, Mohsen Rezaei, said the Islamic Republic would not allow even a single particle of enriched nuclear material to leave the country and that there would be consequences if there were further US strikes.
Rezaei was speaking on pro-Iranian Lebanese television channel Al Mayadeen after U.S. officials downplayed the need for additional military action against Iran, with analysts noting President Donald Trump’s more conciliatory tone since the Republicans’ defeat in the Nov. 3 midterm elections.
Rezaei said there were currently no negotiations between Tehran and Washington.
“Any further US attack will also result in distant US bases,” he warned, referring to bases beyond the reach of the previous war.
The security chief was explicit in his warning, saying that European countries’ military bases would be attacked if US planes launched attacks on Iran from them.
Iran’s Supreme Leader issued a directive that the country’s near-weapons-grade uranium should not be sent abroad, two senior Iranian sources said in May.
Claims enriched nuclear materials needed for ships and submarines
“We need enriched materials to design ships and submarines that run on nuclear energy,” Rezaei said, adding that Tehran has informed Moscow that its enriched nuclear materials will remain in the country and “we will use them ourselves.”
Russia has already offered to withdraw uranium from Iran as part of a possible deal to ease US concerns, but has said it is up to Tehran to decide whether to withdraw it.
The IAEA estimates that Iran had 440.9 kg of uranium enriched to 60% – a level well above that needed for civilian use – when Israel and the United States attacked Iran’s nuclear facilities in June 2025. It is unclear how much survived.
Israel, the United States and other Western countries have long accused Iran of seeking nuclear weapons. Iran denies this accusation.
Washington has said nuclear issues must be part of any initial negotiations with Iran aimed at ending the war between the two countries.
Iran has sent the United States a nuclear proposal via Qatar, which will only be discussed once Washington fulfills all seven demands presented by Tehran, a senior Iranian official said. Reuters last week.
Jonah Davidov contributed to this report.
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