Qatar says it still sees hope for a US-Iran interim deal

Qatar said on Tuesday that it remains hopeful the United States and Iran can reach a deal, even as fresh US strikes and threats to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz complicate efforts to end the Iran war. Foreign ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari made the remarks, according to Al Jazeera and Euronews.

Al-Ansari said regional neighbours and international partners are working together to secure an agreement, and that both sides remain committed to a diplomatic outcome. He said Washington and Tehran were reviewing the proposals put to them. Euronews reported that mediators exchanged proposals in real time after talks in Tehran.

A Qatari delegation met Iranian officials for more than three hours on Monday before returning to Doha that evening, according to Euronews. Al-Ansari said Qatar was working towards an interim agreement meant to build trust and let both sides show they would carry out their commitments. He said such a deal could be a first step towards lasting peace.

Al-Ansari said: "If there were no hope, there would be no negotiations." He also said: "Confidence is built through the process, not specific actions."

The war began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran in late February. It led to separate US and Iranian blockades of the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial route for oil and gas exports. Euronews reported overnight US strikes on Iran's Qeshm island in the strait.

Al-Ansari said freedom of navigation was non-negotiable and condemned threats to ships belonging to Qatar or other countries. He warned that attacks on shipping and other military escalation threatened the whole region and would affect the negotiations. He added that Doha was judging the talks by official responses to its proposals rather than by public threats and statements.

Qatar has continued to work closely with Pakistan and to coordinate with Gulf neighbours to prevent further escalation, according to al-Ansari. Euronews noted that Iranian officials have repeatedly said Tehran's conditions must be met before Hormuz could reopen or nuclear talks could begin.