Qatar is bracing for the possibility that war with Iran could return soon—and has decided to act. Qatari media reports that Doha is prepared to release billions of dollars in frozen funds to Iran in exchange for Tehran’s return to the negotiating table. A Pakistani source claimed Iran has responded positively to the Qatari proposal.
Qatar and Pakistan have presented a “compromise proposal” that addresses demands from both the American and Iranian sides, Qatari media reported Tuesday. Anonymous but well-informed sources said the proposal is designed to prevent renewed escalation and pave the way for both sides to return to negotiations.
The mediation proposal includes a “partial response” to Iran’s demand for the return of frozen Iranian funds. The sources explained that the mediators “presented a proposal that received a positive response from both the U.S. and Iran, and it includes payment of interest on frozen Iranian funds totaling $6 billion held in Qatari banks.”
The sources added that the proposal addresses the American demand regarding Iran’s nuclear program, as under this proposal Tehran agreed to a secret, unannounced visit by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to nuclear sites in Iran. It was also reported that Pakistan’s army chief personally announced after a visit to Iran that the proposal “received American approval, as well as preliminary agreement and a positive response from Iran.”
However, an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said that while talks with Pakistan’s army chief were indeed related to negotiations, they focused primarily on “bilateral relations between Tehran and Islamabad and strengthening cooperation.” No claim was made confirming that the U.S. had actually approved the move.