Qatar presses Iran on new seven-day peace plan as Vance letter emerges

A new draft from Qatar

Qatar and Pakistan are trying to restart stalled talks to end the war between Iran and the United States, which the US and Israel began at the end of February. A person familiar with the negotiations told N-tv on Wednesday, 28 October, that Qatari mediators had presented Iran with a new proposal, handing the draft over in Tehran on Sunday, 25 October. Reuters, citing informed sources, reported the same timing and said the draft lays out a seven-day plan with daily confidence-building steps that both sides would take. The draft is said to give Tehran and Washington time to address their concerns, and several countries would act as guarantors of any deal. Iran is reviewing the proposal, and a response is expected by the end of the week.

Mixed signals from Tehran

Accounts from Iran diverge. A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Qatar had only put forward unacceptable proposals and that no new plan existed, while another source said Tehran was studying the new draft. Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on X on Wednesday that Iran still gives diplomacy a chance and remains in close and constant contact with the mediators. He said Iran was reviewing proposals that could carry out its own seven-day plan in less than a week. That plan envisages a gradual de-escalation, which Washington has so far rejected, according to reports.

The Vance letter and Trump's denial

The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed sources, reported that US Vice President JD Vance wrote to Mohsen Resai, secretary-general of Iran's Security Council, to find out whether planned military strikes on Iran could still be averted through diplomacy. According to that report, the letter sets out a framework for negotiations rather than a concrete proposal to end the war. Asked about the letter, Trump denied that it contained such content. He said Vance's initiative was about Iran needing help obtaining medical supplies and other items, and that he had told Vance it was fine if he wanted to proceed. Reports had repeatedly discussed the possibility that the United States could attack Iran together with Israel after the midterm elections on Tuesday, 3 November.

Nuclear sites, oil and the wider war

Axios, cited by newsORF.at and Wirtschafts Woche, reported that Qatar is urging Iran to allow inspections of its bombed nuclear sites, with certain US sanctions to be eased in return. It is not known whether Tehran has accepted that offer. The United States, backed by Israel, wants Iran's nuclear program included in the negotiations, while Iran says the program is peaceful and Western countries accuse Tehran of pursuing military aims. Araghchi warned on Wednesday that any military adventure in the Gulf provoked by Israel would have devastating consequences for global markets, particularly for gas exporters and importers. Oil prices rose more than 1% that day after Houthi forces attacked the Ras Tanura refinery in Saudi Arabia.

Background and what comes next

The US and Israel began the war at the end of February, and the conflict has severely disrupted global shipping as well as oil and gas supplies. An interim agreement was reached in June but collapsed quickly. Iran's response to the Qatari draft is expected by the end of the week, and implementation of a seven-day plan could begin in early November 2026.