Key facts
- France's foreign ministry said the Paris talks would cover the Iranian crisis and its security and economic repercussions.
- Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani holds both Qatar's prime minister and foreign minister posts.
- Saudi Arabia had already been invited to the broader G7 talks on the Middle East situation.
- Trump said on Truth Social the US was "locked and loaded" for a resumption of major combat operations against Iran.
- Rubio said some of Iran's demands were "outrageous and ridiculous" and that a breakthrough was not imminent.
Qatar's prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, who also serves as the country's foreign minister, was scheduled to meet the foreign ministers of Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Saudi Arabia on November 10 in an unscheduled stop at the G7 foreign ministers meeting in Paris, Reuters reported. The stop followed talks with US President Donald Trump on November 9 on the Iran conflict.
France's foreign ministry said in a statement that the ministers would discuss "the situation in the Near and Middle East, in particular the Iranian crisis and its security and economic repercussions, both for the region and for the international community as a whole." Saudi Arabia had already been invited for broader G7 talks on the Middle East situation.
Al-Monitor reported that Trump described his November 9 meeting with Sheikh Mohammed as "excellent" and wrote on Truth Social that the United States remains "locked and loaded" for a resumption of major combat operations against Iran. "At this point, however, that seems to be quite unlikely," Trump wrote, adding: "We are seeing positive momentum toward an end to this conflict."
According to Al-Monitor, Trump had for months threatened to resume strikes on Iran's energy infrastructure and nuclear facilities if no deal was reached to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and constrain the Iranian nuclear program. In an interview with CBS' "60 Minutes" on November 8, he said he did not see "any reason" to escalate.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on November 8 that Tehran was waiting for Washington's response to its latest two-day proposal, Al-Monitor reported. An Iranian official said on November 6 that the nuclear program was "under discussion" with mediators but that talks hinged on seven conditions, including the release of billions of dollars in frozen assets held in overseas banks and relief from US sanctions, according to Al-Monitor.