Iran opens door to nuclear compromise as Qatar pushes for US peace deal: Report

Tehran is considering historic proposals to make significant concessions regarding its atomic capabilities as part of a Qatari-mediated framework to secure a permanent peace deal with the United States.

The development comes amid continuing efforts to end months of US-Iran war, even as Tehran has linked formal talks with the United States to the lifting of sanctions and other longstanding demands.

Iran examines previously excluded nuclear proposals

According to Bloomberg, Iranian officials are examining proposals concerning nuclear activities that were earlier excluded from negotiations. The proposals were conveyed by Qatar, which has been in talks with both sides.

The report, however, did not specify the restrictions Iran may accept or whether Tehran has offered any firm commitments.

The development follows report on Thursday, which said Iran had submitted a nuclear proposal to Washington through Qatar. A senior Iranian official said the US was examining the document but made it clear that discussions would begin only after Washington met Tehran’s seven conditions.

The official did not reveal the contents of the proposal.

Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani also spoke to US President Donald Trump on Friday regarding efforts to reach an agreement. According to the Qatar News Agency, the two leaders discussed Doha’s mediation, further negotiations and the need to protect shipping routes and energy supplies.

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei has said that Tehran will not resume negotiations or reopen the Strait of Hormuz until its conditions are met.

Iran has demanded the lifting of US sanctions, access to frozen Iranian funds and compensation for damage caused by the conflict. Washington, on the other hand, wants nuclear restrictions to be part of any talks from the outset.

The sequence of steps remains a major sticking point between the two sides. The Financial Times reported that mediators are discussing a possible arrangement under which Iran would ease restrictions on movement through the Strait of Hormuz, while the US would lift its blockade of Iranian ports, permit oil exports and release some Iranian assets.

Broader negotiations would follow under the proposed arrangement, which has not been finalised.

Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium remains another contentious issue. According to the Financial Times, Washington wants international inspectors to visit nuclear facilities damaged during the conflict and wants the stockpile moved out of Iran.

Tehran has opposed the proposed transfer.

The International Atomic Energy Agency had earlier recorded around 441 kg of uranium enriched to 60 per cent purity before the military attacks in June 2025. The agency has since faced restrictions on access to Iranian sites and has been unable to fully verify the status of the material.

Iran maintains that its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes, while the United States has sought safeguards against any development of nuclear weapons.

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