Qatar gives Iran new draft deal to end the war, reply due this week

Qatari mediators handed Iran a new draft agreement aimed at ending the war in Tehran on Sunday, Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing an official briefed on the negotiations. Iran is considering the proposal and is expected to reply by the end of the week.

According to the official, the draft sets out a seven-day process in which both sides would take confidence-building measures each day. It could start early next week, with several countries acting as guarantors. The official did not name them. The source also said there were concerns in Tehran before Sunday's meeting that Israel could resume bombing Iran this week.

US President Donald Trump declined to say on Wednesday whether he plans strikes on Iran after the American midterm elections. Speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, he said: "I can't tell you that, but anything is possible." He claimed Tehran wanted a deal but might be delaying until after the US elections, and said Iran's military and finances had been "decimated".

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had a "historic, one-time opportunity" together with Trump, and called for removing the Iranian threat "once and for all". His remarks came after Israel's election on Tuesday. Gulf News reported that with 66 per cent of votes counted, Netanyahu's bloc was projected to win 54 of 120 Knesset seats against 48 for the opposition alliance led by Gadi Eisenkot, with 18 projected for non-aligned Arab parties. Neither side has the 61 seats needed for a majority.

Tensions between Iran and Qatar also surfaced publicly. Iran's foreign ministry spokesman for public relations, Mahmoud Maleki, urged Doha to show goodwill by preventing what he called "aggressors" from using Qatari territory. He was responding to Qatari official Ibrahim Sultan Al-Hashmi, who had urged Tehran to respect freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that any Israeli-instigated military action in the Arabian Gulf could have a devastating impact on international energy markets. He also called for regional security arrangements without foreign military presence, and referred to recent talks in Tehran involving Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey, saying the agreement to continue consultations was an important step.

CBS News reported that a US Central Command estimate puts the war's cost to the US military at at least $47.1 billion as of mid-October, of which $29 billion is for replacing used munitions. The figure excludes damage to US bases in the Middle East. Britain has issued fresh travel warnings for 16 Middle Eastern countries, Gulf News reported.