Trump to meet Qatar's prime minister as Iran diplomacy faces hurdles

President Donald Trump is scheduled to hold a closed-door meeting at the White House on Monday with Qatar’s prime minister and foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani. This meeting occurs as diplomatic efforts to end the ongoing conflict with Iran face significant obstacles, according to Al-Monitor.

In an interview with CNN, Trump stated it is “highly unlikely” that renewed fighting with Iran will be necessary provided that talks progress, though he noted he would act if necessary. Trump suggested that economic pressure, citing a 301 percent inflation rate, would force Iranian leaders to accept a peace deal on U.S. terms. He previously acknowledged that the war with Iran contributed to the Republican Party's defeat in recent elections, according to Malay Mail.

Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi suggested that peace talks have been paused while the political consequences of the Democratic Party's recent victory are evaluated, Malay Mail reports.

Brief written by urgent.news from Al-Monitor, Malay Mail — 2 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.