World

Iran leaves Doha talks as draft U.S. deal circulates, with Hormuz reopening in two days on the table

Doha, Qatar • November 2, 2026 • By Press Pass USA

Editorial illustration: diplomats in suits seen from behind walking along a Doha waterfront promenade at dusk, with the city's skyline across the bay

Editorial illustration — Press Pass USA

Iranian negotiators have left talks with Qatari mediators in Doha aimed at ending the war with the United States, and a draft proposal for a deal is now being circulated, with a follow-up meeting possible, an official briefed on the talks told Reuters on Monday.

The negotiators departed on Sunday, the official said — not because of difficulties in the negotiations. No details of the draft proposal were provided, and no agreement has been announced. The departure follows a third consecutive day of talks on Sunday, which this site reported as the round was under way.

The Associated Press, citing a regional official briefed on the talks, reported the same sequence on Monday: the Iranian delegation left Qatar on Sunday, a draft proposal has been circulated for feedback, and a follow-up meeting is under discussion. The AP noted the region is bracing for a possible return to all-out war amid concerns that the United States and Israel could strike Iran shortly after Tuesday's U.S. midterm elections.

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday that the basis of the talks remains a seven-step plan Tehran drew up in September to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the U.S. naval blockade on Iran — now, he said, on a faster timeline under a deal. Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi had been in Doha to facilitate the exchange of messages with Washington through Qatari intermediaries, Baghaei said.

"Our demands have been articulated very clearly and transparently. These demands are reasonable and logical: no final agreement can be initiated, nor can the Strait of Hormuz be reopened or secured, unless the US naval blockade is brought to an end, Iran's demands are respected, and Iran's legitimate requirements are addressed," Baghaei said, according to Reuters.

On Saturday, Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera quoted Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi 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. Iran's initial proposal was rejected by President Donald Trump, Reuters noted.

Trump has said the United States will not launch new attacks on Iran before Tuesday's vote and that talks with Tehran have been productive, though he has not ruled out further military action afterwards. Asked about Tehran's view of the midterms, Baghaei said Iran did not expect the elections to "give birth to a new US," Reuters reported.

The AP also reported that Iran's new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, met with Iran's military chiefs and warned of a response to "any kind and level of threat," while Araqchi, on a one-day visit to neighboring Turkmenistan on Monday, said the final outcome depends on U.S. answers to what he called the "Iranian questions." In other words, the ball is now in Washington's court — but the war, now eight months old, is not over, and neither side has said a deal is done.

Sources: Reuters (Nov. 2, 2026, full text verified); Associated Press (Nov. 2, 2026, via Military.com); Al Jazeera, as quoted by Reuters (Oct. 31, 2026).