What is clear is that Washington is running coercion and diplomacy at once, and that Qatar's mediation is the thread holding the latter together.
The United States carried out what it described as limited new airstrikes in southern Iran on Friday night, according to Euronews, heightening fears across the Middle East and among Gulf states of a return to all-out war. Qatar and Washington insisted that negotiations for a diplomatic settlement are continuing. President Donald Trump told reporters that a "minor" military action targeted Iranian air defence systems on Qeshm Island, saying the device was destroyed in about fifteen minutes, "maybe five", and that "we are not fighting".
Iranian state-run media reported that two missiles hit the Suza area of Qeshm Island without identifying targets or damage, while residents posted accounts of explosions on social media. Earlier on Friday the Revolutionary Guard claimed it had shot down a US military drone over southern Iran; Washington did not confirm the claim. The strike follows what the US military called defensive strikes on Monday, when explosions were heard on Qeshm and Hengam in the Strait of Hormuz and near Bandar Abbas. It is also the first since the Democratic Party's midterm victory, which officials and analysts have linked to voters' disagreement with Trump's decision to enter the war with Iran.
Trump paired the strike with claims of momentum in talks spearheaded by Qatar. "We're dealing with them now. They want to make a deal," he said. In an earlier speech in Florida he defended the war decision, saying that had he allowed Iran a nuclear weapon "today there would be no Israel". Qatar denied reports that the negotiations had collapsed, saying its mediators remain in close coordination with the United States and Iran. Two Middle East government officials told AP that Iran was reviewing proposals presented by Qatar, though one stressed that Tehran remains unwilling to negotiate over its nuclear programme until Washington meets core conditions.
Those conditions, as reported, include ending the US military blockade on Iranian ports, lifting sanctions, unfreezing assets, compensation for war damage and an end to hostilities across the region, including Israeli operations in Lebanon. Differences over the nuclear programme remain the thorniest issue, and one Trump insists must be resolved in any deal to end the war, now more than eight months old. A flurry of calls between Gulf leaders and Washington suggests intense efforts to prevent a wider conflict. Trump spoke with Qatar's Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, about de-escalation and "freedom of maritime navigation and the security of energy supplies", while Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth spoke with his Qatari counterpart.
Qatar's Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, said in Oxford that mediators had worked with US colleagues with "very genuine intentions" to contain the crisis, and that "thanks also to some wise voices in Tehran, we have prevented that from getting out of control". He added that a perfect peace deal will never exist but a good one cannot be deferred. Iran's Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, said he had spoken with twelve counterparts in two days and called for regional security arrangements without outside powers, while an army spokesman warned that Iran would never allow enemy bases in the region to be rebuilt.
Danny Citrinowicz, a former head of Israeli military intelligence research, wrote on X that Tehran is not intimidated and would seek to widen any war from the outset, targeting Gulf states and preparing partners including Hezbollah, the Houthis and Iraqi Shiite militias. "The central danger is that Washington may envision another short military operation, while Tehran is preparing for a much broader and potentially prolonged regional war," he said. Much remains unconfirmed: the extent of damage on Qeshm, the fate of the drone, and whether Iran will engage on the nuclear file. What is clear is that Washington is running coercion and diplomacy at once, and that Qatar's mediation is the thread holding the latter together.
