Photo: Haakon S. Krohn, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA). File photo of Doha, not a photo of the talks.
Iranian negotiators have left talks with Qatari mediators aimed at ending the war with the United States, and a draft proposal is being circulated with a follow-up meeting possible, an official briefed on the talks said on Monday, November 2, 2026.
The negotiators departed on Sunday, though not because of difficulties in the negotiations, the official told Reuters, without providing further details on the draft proposal. The development is the latest step in a diplomatic track that has run alongside continued attacks on shipping in the Gulf — and it leaves the central question unanswered: whether Washington will accept a framework that Tehran says could reopen the Strait of Hormuz within two days.
What the draft is built on
Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, said the basis of the talks is a seven-step plan Iran drew up in September to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the US naval blockade on Iran, with Tehran now suggesting that proposal could be implemented on a faster timeline under a deal. Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi had been in Doha to facilitate the exchange of messages with Washington via Qatari intermediaries, Baghaei said.
On Saturday, Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera quoted Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi as saying that under a deal, the Strait of Hormuz could be opened within a two-day timeline rather than within the seven days originally envisaged. The September proposal, conveyed to Washington through Qatar, had envisaged a seven-day process, with the strait reopening on the sixth day after the United States met Iranian demands. President Donald Trump rejected the initial proposal.
Iran's conditions, as stated by Araghchi, include lifting sanctions imposed after the Islamabad memorandum, reducing the US military presence in the region, restoring oil waivers and releasing frozen Iranian funds, including funds held in Qatar. Baghaei said no final agreement can be initiated, nor can the strait be reopened or secured, unless the US naval blockade is brought to an end, Iran's demands are respected, and what he called Iran's legitimate requirements are addressed. Those are Iran's stated positions; Washington has not publicly accepted the two-day framework.
Where Washington stands
The talks come amid concerns that the conflict could escalate again after Tuesday's US midterm elections. Trump has said the United States would not launch new attacks on Iran before the vote and that discussions with Tehran had been productive, but he has not ruled out further military action afterwards. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said Trump has not decided whether to launch new strikes, while preferring a diplomatic solution.
That uncertainty matters because the war, now eight months old, has already reshaped energy markets and the midterm campaign itself. Brent crude futures fell in early trading on Monday as a third day of Doha talks raised hopes of a deal, and Gulf stock markets were mixed as investors assessed the talks. Those market moves reflect hopes for an agreement, not an agreement itself — and no deal has been announced.
What happens next
Three questions will decide what this week brings. First, whether Washington answers the draft proposal, and whether its answer comes before or after Tuesday's midterm vote. Second, whether a follow-up meeting is actually convened, as the official briefed on the talks said was possible. Third, whether shipping attacks continue while diplomacy proceeds — a tanker was struck off the Saudi coast late on Sunday, and a separate vessel was reported hit inside the strait — which would test whether either side can hold a diplomatic track and a military track at the same time.
For now, the confirmed facts are narrow: Iranian negotiators have left Doha, a draft proposal is being circulated, and Tehran says Hormuz could reopen in two days under a deal meeting its conditions. The contents of the draft, Washington's response, and any timetable for a follow-up meeting have not been made public.
Sources: Reuters, November 2, 2026; Daily Sabah, November 2, 2026; Gulf Times, November 2, 2026; Al Jazeera, via Reuters, November 1-2, 2026. The account of the draft proposal and the negotiators' departure is as stated by an official briefed on the talks, speaking to Reuters; Iran's conditions and the two-day timeline are Tehran's stated positions and have not been accepted publicly by Washington.