Iran says Qatar offered no new proposal, only ‘unacceptable ideas’ as hardliners warn against distancing Tehran from Houthis

Dubai: Qatar has not presented Iran with a new peace proposal to end the war with the United States and Israel, but only ideas that Tehran considers unacceptable, a senior Iranian official involved in the negotiations told Reuters on Wednesday.

The official said Qatar had presented only “unacceptable ideas and not an offer”, adding that Iran’s position on showing no flexibility over its nuclear programme remained unchanged.

The remarks contradicted an earlier account from another official briefed on the negotiations, who said Qatari mediators had presented a draft peace agreement to Tehran on Sunday.

The conflicting accounts emerged as a high-level diplomatic meeting involving Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Turkey and Iran exposed divisions among Iranian hardliners over whether regional talks could end the conflict or force Tehran into concessions over Yemen.

According to media reports, some Iranian commentators welcomed Monday’s Tehran meeting as recognition of their country’s regional influence, while others questioned whether the visiting officials were seeking to weaken Iran’s relationship with the Houthis.

Hossein Shariatmadari, managing editor of the hardline Kayhan newspaper, questioned the purpose of the meeting in a commentary titled “Tehran Summit: Water or Mirage?”

He warned that cooperation with countries involved in the Mecca defence pact could increase pressure on Iran to distance itself from the Houthis, insisting Tehran would not abandon the group.

Former parliamentary national security committee chairman Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh suggested Yemen was a more immediate concern for the visiting countries than Iran’s confrontation with Washington.

“As long as the Yemen issue remains unresolved, the Iran issue will not be put on the agenda,” he told Khabar Online.

The meeting ended with a statement committing the participants to continued dialogue on regional peace and security, without announcing specific agreements.

Earlier on Wednesday, Reuters cited an official briefed on negotiations as saying Qatari mediators had presented Tehran with a draft peace agreement on Sunday.

The proposed arrangement outlined a seven-day process involving daily confidence-building measures by Washington and Tehran, potentially backed by guarantees from several countries.

However, the senior Iranian official’s subsequent comments challenged whether the ideas amounted to a formal peace offer.

Washington wants Iran’s nuclear programme included in negotiations from the outset, while Tehran insists on an end to the US blockade of Iranian ports and the lifting of sanctions on its oil exports.

Iranian commentators have also questioned whether regional powers could guarantee that Washington and Israel would not resume military action after an agreement.

Maryam Salari, diplomatic editor of Iran’s state-run newspaper, argued that the central issue was what assurances Tehran would receive against another war if it made concessions.

Former Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, meanwhile, called for a regional security framework based on non-aggression and confidence-building.

The disagreements highlight the challenges facing mediators as the United States keeps the possibility of renewed military action open.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump refused to rule out fresh military strikes against Iran after next week’s American midterm elections.

“I can’t tell you that,” Trump told reporters when asked about possible attacks. “But anything is possible.”

Trump claimed Tehran wanted an agreement but suggested Iranian leaders might be delaying negotiations until after the elections.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu struck a more confrontational tone, declaring that Israel had a historic opportunity alongside Trump to eliminate what he described as the Iranian threat “once and for all”.

His remarks came amid political uncertainty following Israel’s inconclusive parliamentary election.