Qatar voices hope for a US-Iran deal despite fresh US strikes, says proposals are being exchanged in real time

Despite fresh US strikes on Iran's Qeshm island, Qatar said on Tuesday it had not given up hope of a deal between the United States and Iran. If there were no hope, there would be no negotiations, the foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al Ansari said at a weekly briefing in Doha.

Al Ansari said mediators were exchanging proposals in real time, following talks in Tehran.

According to him, a Qatari delegation met Iranian officials for more than three hours on Monday before returning to Doha that evening. Washington and Tehran were now reviewing the proposals, he said.

Al Ansari said Qatar was working towards an interim agreement intended to build trust and allow both sides to demonstrate that they would carry out their commitments.

Confidence is built through the process, not specific actions, he said, adding that an interim deal could be a first step towards lasting peace.

Despite overnight US strikes on Qeshm island in the Strait of Hormuz, Al Ansari said Doha was assessing the talks by the official responses to its proposals, rather than by public threats and statements.

The ongoing war began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran in late February, resulting in separate US and Iranian blockades of the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial route for oil and gas exports.

Al Ansari said freedom of navigation was non-negotiable, condemning threats to ships belonging to Qatar or other countries.

He warned that attacks on shipping and other military escalation threatened the whole region and would affect the negotiations.

Al Ansari said Qatar has continued to work closely with Pakistan and coordinate with its Gulf neighbours to prevent further escalation.

Iranian officials, for their part, have repeatedly said Tehran's conditions must be met before Hormuz could reopen or nuclear talks could begin.