Qatari mediators return to Tehran with revised US draft as Trump says Iran war will be 'wrapped up soon'
Qatari mediators are back in Tehran with a revised US draft and an answer may come Saturday, while Iran says six ships have hit mines in the Hormuz area.
At a glance
- A Qatari delegation returned to Tehran on Friday, October 30, carrying a revised US draft, in talks an official briefed on them said were coordinated with Washington.
- A response from Iran is expected by the end of the week, most likely Saturday, according to reports; talks could then start as soon as next week in Qatar or Turkey.
- Trump said the war is 'going to get wrapped up soon' and demanded a guarantee of no Iranian nuclear weapon, but gave no details of how.
- The core gap is unchanged: Washington wants nuclear issues on the table from the start, Tehran wants the US port blockade and oil sanctions lifted first.
- Iran says six vessels have hit mines on the southern Hormuz route in recent days; the US Central Command chief insists that route is clear and safe.
Qatari mediators returned to Tehran on Friday with a revised US draft aimed at ending the war, just as President Donald Trump said the conflict was "going to get wrapped up soon". An official briefed on the talks said the mission was coordinated with Washington, and an Iranian answer is expected as early as Saturday, according to reports.
Nothing is agreed. Trump gave no explanation of how the war would end, and at sea the fighting has not paused: Iran's navy said on Friday that two more tankers had caught fire after hitting mines and that it had destroyed an enemy drone east of the Strait of Hormuz.
What is on the table in Tehran
Iran's state news agency IRNA said the delegation was led by a senior adviser to Qatar's prime minister and foreign minister and had come to discuss "issues of mutual interest". The visit is the second in a week. On Sunday Qatar handed over a draft peace plan, according to an official briefed on the negotiations, though a senior Iranian official dismissed those ideas as unacceptable and said Tehran's nuclear position would not change.
The new version has not been published. According to reports, it would let UN inspectors visit Iranian nuclear sites in exchange for sanctions relief, and if Tehran agrees, talks could begin next week in Qatar or Turkey. Neither government has confirmed those terms.
| Issue | United States | Iran |
|---|---|---|
| Order of talks | Nuclear issues from the very start | Blockade and oil sanctions first |
| Nuclear programme | "A guarantee there'll never be a nuclear weapon", Trump says | Says it will keep its existing position |
| US port blockade | Still in force | Must end before negotiations |
| Oil export sanctions | Relief reportedly tied to inspections | Must be lifted |
| Framework | Revised draft carried by Qatar | Its own seven-day proposal, which Trump has called not enough |
Trump's radio remark and the Vance letter
Trump's comment came in an interview with KCMO, a Kansas City radio station, four days before the November 3 midterm elections. He has also spoken of resuming attacks after the vote, so the talk of an imminent ending sits beside a threat of more war.
The clearest sign of division over messaging is a letter from Vice President JD Vance to Mohsen Rezaei, a senior Iranian figure. Iranian media say it has not been answered. It was widely read as an attempt to revive direct negotiations, but Trump has said it concerned only medical supplies for Iran. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Wednesday that Tehran was in close contact with intermediaries over how to carry out its own seven-day plan.
Two opposite accounts of the Hormuz shipping lanes
The diplomacy is running alongside a dispute about whether the world's most important oil route is safe. Iran now says six commercial vessels have struck mines on the southern route in the past few days, accusing ships of ignoring warnings and sailing with tracking systems off. It was not clear whether the two tankers named by the navy on Friday are the same ones reported earlier by the Revolutionary Guards.
Adm. Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command, said in a video on Friday that Iran's navy is "at the bottom of the sea" and that southern lanes are clear of Iranian mines. He said the US had helped Gulf partners export more than 1.5 billion barrels of crude since the summer. The UK's navy has confirmed an attack on one ship in the area.
The mine reports have not been independently verified, so both accounts should be read as claims by parties to the conflict.
Why Pakistan's fuel bill depends on this
Oil traders are not treating peace as close. Brent crude rose about 2.5% on Friday to around $113–115 a barrel, with reports differing through the day, and US crude was above $104. Fuel at those levels feeds straight into costs for import-dependent economies such as Pakistan, where pump prices are now reviewed frequently, and across South Asia, which relies on Gulf crude and on the wages of workers in the region.
Saturday is the next date to watch for Iran's reply to the draft. After that comes the US vote on Tuesday, November 3.
Questions people are asking
Is there a US-Iran peace deal?
Not yet. As of October 30, 2026, Qatari mediators were in Tehran with a revised US draft and Iran had not publicly accepted it. A senior Iranian official called an earlier version of the ideas unacceptable.
What does Iran want before talks with the US?
Tehran says the US must first end its blockade of Iranian ports and lift sanctions on oil exports. Washington wants nuclear issues included from the start of any negotiations.
