Key facts
- Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani holds both Qatar's prime minister and foreign minister posts and visited Tehran before the Washington trip.
- Iran's proposal would end the US port blockade, lift some sanctions and halt bombing in return for Tehran ending its Strait of Hormuz blockade.
- Rubio said he did not believe a diplomatic breakthrough was imminent, and Anwar Gargash said a comprehensive settlement appeared difficult.
- Vance, who led negotiations for a short-lived truce in June, is also scheduled to meet Al-Thani.
- Iran said a tanker hit a mine east of the Strait of Hormuz on November 8; attacks on tankers reached their highest rate since the war began, per international maritime agency figures.
- The Saudi energy ministry said an attack blew out windows across several floors of a building in Riyadh's financial district without assigning responsibility.
US President Donald Trump is due to meet Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, Qatar's prime minister and foreign minister, and Vice President JD Vance in Washington on November 9, as efforts to end the Iran war continue after last week's midterm elections. Senior US and Gulf officials cast doubt on the chances of an imminent deal, Reuters reported.
More than eight months into the conflict the US launched alongside Israel on February 28, Trump has played down the likelihood of major warfare restarting soon but remains unwilling to accept an existing Iranian truce plan. Mutual attacks continue: the US struck Iran's Qeshm island overnight into November 9, according to Iranian state media, and Iran attacked tankers in the Gulf and Strait of Hormuz during November while its Yemeni Houthi allies hit Saudi Arabia.
Iran's proposal would end the US blockade of its ports, lift some sanctions and halt bombing in return for Tehran stopping its own blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, with talks on its nuclear program and other sanctions to follow. The US has repeatedly rejected the plan, which Iran has said could be condensed to a two-day timeframe. Rubio on November 8 described Tehran's conditions as "outrageous and ridiculous and really not realistic." Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei defended the plan on November 9 as the most reasonable offer on the table.