Iran says it sent a nuclear proposal to the US via Qatar as Trump weighs new strikes, pressure or a deal

Iran sent a nuclear proposal to the United States via Qatar, a senior Iranian official said^1,2. Iranian officials also said they are reviewing “concrete proposals” on the nuclear program³, and Iran is reviewing mediators’ proposals on the program’s future⁴.

The deal under discussion was intended to pave the way for talks about the nuclear issue and to lead to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway³. Trump and the Qatari emir discussed regional de-escalation efforts⁶.

On the US side, President Trump said after meeting his national security advisers on Thursday that he will soon decide whether to resume all-out war in Iran now that the midterms are over⁵. It was the first time he and his top advisers had met on Iran since the election, as part of his weekly intelligence briefing, two US officials said⁵.

Why it matters to investors

Trump is considering three options, according to that account: launch new strikes, continue to strangle Iran’s regime economically, or cut a deal that includes significant concessions to the Iranians⁵. The election was seen as an inflection point on whether to unleash a new wave of bombing⁵.

Energy markets are exposed to that choice. Oil prices could spike as US action on Iran nears, according to Rapidan Energy⁸. Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, has taken aim at Vice President JD Vance⁸.

Military activity has continued. A US strike on Monday hit Iranian targets in the Strait of Hormuz, including an antiaircraft facility on Qeshm Island⁹. Strikes kept quiet during the final stretch of the midterm campaign set off worries about transparency⁹.

What to watch

The first signal is Washington’s response to the proposal passed through Qatar¹. Iran’s Foreign Ministry has been in discussions with Saudi and Qatari counterparts⁷, which keeps Gulf mediators at the center of any deal.

The second is Trump’s decision, which he said is coming soon⁵. A choice for new strikes would test the oil-price risk analysts have flagged⁸.

The third is Tehran’s framing. Aliakbar Velayati, an adviser to the supreme leader, said the region faces two choices, one of them collective security⁶. The US and Israel attacked Iran on 28 February¹, and any agreement on the nuclear issue is meant to lead toward reopening Hormuz³.