Qatar PM in Tehran as Trump Rules Out Talks With Iran

Qatar's prime minister travelled to Tehran on Thursday in a bid to restart stalled diplomacy, even as US President Donald Trump said Washington was not currently engaging with Iran.

"We don't want to speak to them. We're not looking to meet or anything," Trump told reporters, signalling a continued freeze in direct contacts six months after the outbreak of hostilities.

Major combat operations have been paused for weeks, but there has been little movement toward a broader peace deal or the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital artery for global energy shipments. The Iranian government remains under economic pressure but shows no urgency to negotiate.

In Tehran, Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani met Iran's top negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and urged a return to diplomacy, according to Qatar's foreign ministry. Discussions also covered a proposed temporary joint Iranian-Omani shipping corridor through the strait and a joint mine-clearing project.

Iranian officials, however, struck a cautious tone. Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said Tehran would strike US military and economic interests if Washington engaged in "mischief" against Iran. He insisted the United States must first meet Iranian conditions, including ending the blockade on Iranian ports, paying compensation, and removing sanctions.

"We do not trust the United States; it has repeatedly betrayed diplomacy and negotiations," Rezaei said.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump "continues to retain all options on the table" regarding Iran. She described the current approach as "Operation Economic Outcast" to destroy Iran's economy, following the military campaign. "No negotiations are happening right now," she added.

A June memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran collapsed partly over the future of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has sought to control the waterway and charge fees, while Washington insists it must remain an open international passage.

The International Maritime Organization has reported 70 incidents in the strait since late February, killing 19 seafarers. Thousands of others have died, mostly in Iran and Lebanon, since the US and Israel attacked Iran with stated goals of denying it a nuclear weapon, helping Iranians topple their government, and destroying its missile program.