Iran envoys meet Qatar mediators as US strike threat looms

Iranian negotiators met with Qatari mediators in Doha on Saturday to discuss paths out of war in the Gulf, a source told Reuters, as diplomats try to avert renewed fighting after the US midterm elections this week. Saturday's talks followed more than 12 hours of discussions on Friday between Iranian and Qatari envoys in Tehran. The source said the talks were being coordinated in regular contacts with Washington. Countries in the region have been anticipating that US President Donald Trump, who has held off on strikes on Iran during the weeks leading up to Tuesday's midterm elections, could restart attacks once the voting is over. Iran has repeatedly said it would respond to new attacks by striking at US and Israeli targets in neighbouring countries. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei issued a statement on Saturday ordering the armed forces to be prepared to respond to any attacks. The Iranian military later announced it was taking steps to improve its readiness. Trump has repeatedly hinted at plans to restart strikes on Iran. Earlier this week, Vice President JD Vance wrote a letter to a hardline senior Iranian security official, described as an initiative to see if it was possible to restart talks. In the latest Qatari-mediated discussions, the Qataris brought a proposal to Tehran a week ago for a seven-day plan, under which the US and Iran would take daily steps to build trust ahead of broader peace talks. A senior Iranian official told Reuters on Friday that this proposal was not deemed satisfactory by Tehran. Iran has been proposing its own seven-day plan since September, so far rejected by Trump. Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said in remarks reported by Al Jazeera on Saturday that Iran was studying Vance's letter.