President Donald Trump met Qatar’s prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, at the White House on Monday in a session closed to reporters, as Qatar mediates between the United States and Iran.
The Oval Office meeting lasted about 45 minutes, Iran International reported, citing Axios. Sources told Axios the Qatari leader wanted Trump to allow more time for diplomacy, CBS News reported. No official readout appeared in the reports reviewed by Cedar.
Trump told CBS’s “60 Minutes,” in an interview aired Sunday, that he does not see “any reason” to escalate. He told CNN a return to war was “highly unlikely” as long as negotiations progress, The National reported. Secretary of State Marco Rubio struck a cooler tone before leaving for a G7 meeting in Paris, telling reporters that the talks were not close to a breakthrough.
Signals from the region also conflict. Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin said Vice President JD Vance and Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, are due to meet in Qatar next week, the Türkiye newspaper reported, while Iran’s Tasnim news agency, citing an unnamed security official, rejected that. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards denied Monday that any mines had been cleared from the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iran International.
Oil prices fell. Brent crude was down 4.8% near $94 a barrel on Monday afternoon.
Investors will watch for any statement from the White House or Doha, and for further attacks on shipping near the strait.
