Vance and Iran's Rezaei set for Doha talks as mediators push seven-point deal

Turkish intelligence chief İbrahim Kalin said Monday that Vice President JD Vance and Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, are expected to meet in Doha next week. Regional mediators are working the room around a seven-point proposal, according to Kalin. He called the sit-down a chance to push Washington and Tehran closer to a deal, but also warned the talks could collapse and open the door to fresh US strikes.

The proposal under discussion would hand Iran sanctions relief and access to frozen assets. In return, Tehran would commit not to pursue nuclear weapons, resume engagement with the International Atomic Energy Agency, and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Monday that shipping enriched nuclear material abroad is off the table. In an interview carried by IRNA, he argued Tehran showed goodwill by shortening its peace plan's implementation window — two days, down from seven — while accusing Washington of repeatedly shifting its demands and the talks' objectives. Baghaei also claimed there was confusion inside the US administration.

On the water, an IRIB reporter said Iranian Navy forces blocked four oil tankers from transiting the Strait of Hormuz in the past 24 hours, with 11 tankers targeted over the past ten days. Lawmaker Hamidreza Gudarzi said Iran should rethink its nuclear policy and argued that acquiring nuclear weapons could deter future attacks, citing threats against Pickaxe Mountain.

President Masoud Pezeshkian said Monday that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei ordered the government to end the "no war, no peace" standoff with the United States. He said Tehran can "hold talks with dignity and bring the matter to an end with dignity," pointing to the conflict's toll on the economy and living standards. The conflict has not seen major escalation since September, though the two sides remain far from a peace agreement.