Gulf states are 'braced for the worst' as US-Iran talks to reopen the Strait of Hormuz drag on in Doha
Donald Trump, JD Vance and Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office in July. Trump has denied that a letter Vance sent to Iran's top security official was intended to revive peace negotiations, insisting it concerned…The USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group at sea in October, as the vessel steams towards the Middle East and is expected to bring total US forces in the region to more than 20,000 sailors and marines.
Qatar's three-day mediation in Doha is focused on unlocking more than $6bn in frozen Iranian assets — the key concession Washington must make before Tehran agrees to reopen the waterway and restart nuclear talks. UAE envoy Anwar Gargash made the 'braced for the worst' warning after an unidentified missile strike hit a Pakistan-bound Qatari LNG tanker near the strait on Friday, despite Tehran having granted the ship safe passage just hours earlier.
Iran's IRGC Navy separately reported two tankers 'exploded' after hitting mines in the strait on Sunday.
A right-wing ally pressed Trump in a 'direct and pointed' call on Saturday to restart military action immediately after Tuesday's midterm elections, with sources identifying the caller as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Iran war has now killed 21 US service members, cost $47bn, and caused up to $15bn in damage to American bases — damage the Pentagon has not included in its official war-cost estimates.
