Iran's Top Negotiators in Qatar to Finalize 60-Day US Deal
Get the Geopolitics newsletter
Daily geopolitics — wars, elections, sanctions, the diplomatic moves that move markets. Free.
- Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran's powerful parliamentary speaker and lead negotiator, and foreign minister Abbas Araghchi traveled to Doha on Monday as Qatari and Pakistani mediators worked to finalize a 60-day deal to extend a fragile ceasefire in place since April 8.
- Under the terms, Iran would gradually reopen the Strait of Hormuz — through which a fifth of the world's oil and gas normally passes — remove mines from the waterway, and forgo ship transit fees for 60 days, while the US eases its naval blockade on Iranian ports.
- Central bank governor Abdolnaser Hemmati joined the delegation to discuss releasing Iran's $6 billion in frozen assets held in Qatar, with the US agreeing to phased sanctions relief tied to progress toward a final deal.
- Oil prices dropped sharply on Monday on hopes of a breakthrough, with Brent crude falling 5.2% to $98.15 a barrel and US crude dropping 5.5% to $91.28 a barrel.
- Trump posted on Truth Social that Iran's highly enriched uranium 'will either be immediately turned over to the United States... or... destroyed in place,' with the Atomic Energy Commission serving as witness — while also telling negotiators 'not to rush into a deal.'
- Iran's foreign ministry said it wants the deal to end the war 'on all fronts,' explicitly including the Israel-Hizbollah conflict in Lebanon.
- Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian ordered the reconnection of Iran's global internet, which had been cut off throughout the war.
Why it matters: The 60-day window leaves the deal fragile — Trump is publicly hedging ('not to rush') while Iran demands coverage of all regional fronts including the Israel-Hizbollah conflict. Trump has warned that if talks collapse, strikes resume 'bigger and stronger,' while reopening the strait would ease the worst global energy crisis in decades.
