TEHRAN, Iran | October 28, 2026 | Iran has rejected the latest ideas conveyed by Qatari mediators to end its eight-month war with the United States and Israel, raising fresh doubts about diplomatic efforts to halt the conflict, which has disrupted international shipping, threatened energy supplies and widened regional hostilities.
A senior Iranian official involved in the negotiations said on Wednesday that Qatar had presented ideas Tehran considered unacceptable rather than a formal peace offer. The official also said Iran would not change its position on its nuclear programme. However, an official briefed on the negotiations told Reuters that Qatari mediators had delivered a new draft agreement in Tehran on Sunday and that Iran was expected to respond by the end of the week.
According to the official briefed on the talks, the proposed agreement would establish a seven-day process involving daily confidence-building measures by both sides. Several countries would serve as guarantors, although their identities and the full terms of the draft have not been disclosed. Qatar has coordinated with Pakistan and other regional governments in efforts to bring Washington and Tehran back toward a negotiated settlement.
The central disagreement concerns the sequence of steps needed to end the war. Washington wants Iran’s nuclear programme included in negotiations from the outset, while Tehran insists that its conditions must be addressed first. These include ending the US blockade of Iranian ports and lifting sanctions on Iranian oil exports. Iran maintains that its nuclear programme is not intended for military purposes, a position disputed by Western governments.
The latest diplomatic effort follows an earlier seven-day proposal put forward by Iran in September. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said at the time that normal passage through the Strait of Hormuz could be restored if Tehran’s conditions were met. US President Donald Trump rejected that proposal, prompting further mediation by Qatar.
The conflict began on February 28, when the United States and Israel launched attacks against Iran. An interim peace agreement reached in June briefly reduced hostilities but subsequently unravelled, leaving regional governments searching for a lasting settlement.
The consequences have extended beyond Iran and Israel. Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi forces have intensified attacks affecting Saudi Arabia, while fighting has also reignited between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. The Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for global oil shipments, remains a major point of contention, with disruptions contributing to uncertainty in energy markets.
Diplomatic efforts intensified this week as senior officials from Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan met Iranian officials in Tehran. Qatar has also urged Iran to stop threatening Gulf Arab states and reopen the Strait of Hormuz as signs of goodwill toward regional de-escalation.
Despite the renewed mediation, the conflicting accounts of the latest proposal underscore the difficulties facing negotiators. Without agreement on the nuclear issue, sanctions, maritime access and the sequence of reciprocal commitments, the prospects for a durable end to the war remain uncertain.
Edgardo Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
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