Qatari Mediators Press Peace Deal between US and Iran
Qatar said it is exchanging messages between Iran and the United States and working towards common ground for a deal, despite President Donald Trump's denial of reports that he was willing to ease sanctions and release frozen funds in exchange for Iranian concessions on its nuclear program. The US and Iran have failed to find an off-ramp from their war, now in its eighth month, and negotiations during last week's UN General Assembly have not yielded an agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Trump repeated that Iran must not obtain a nuclear weapon and rejected an Iranian peace proposal floated at the UN General Assembly that would trigger a seven-day countdown to reopening the strait and a pause in fighting.
Why it matters: The mediation bears on the briefing's energy theme, as the Strait of Hormuz closure and sanctions affect global oil supply and prices.