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

President Donald Trump is set to meet with Qatar's prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, at the White House on Monday, according to the White House schedule. This comes as the conflict with Iran continues and diplomatic efforts to resolve it encounter significant challenges. Trump's meeting with Al-Thani, who also serves as Qatar's foreign minister, will be a closed-door session. Vice President Kamala Harris is also scheduled to meet with the Qatari leader.

Qatar has been a crucial intermediary between the United States and Iran, facilitating proposals and attempting to reconcile differences surrounding Iran's nuclear program and the terms for ending the ongoing conflict. However, Secretary of State Antony Blinken reported on Sunday that negotiations with Iran have made minimal progress, and he does not anticipate an imminent breakthrough.

Blinken, speaking prior to his departure for a G7 foreign ministers meeting in Paris, emphasized that the Trump administration views Iran's demands as unacceptable in certain instances, describing them as outrageous and unrealistic, and not realistically achievable.

Trump indicated on Sunday that he is highly unlikely to authorize new strikes against Iran if negotiations advance and result in a robust agreement. Yet, he cautioned that the United States has identified additional infrastructure targets, such as bridges, should military action resume.