President Donald Trump is set to meet Qatar’s prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al‑Thani, at the White House on Monday, the White House schedule shows. The closed‑door meeting will also involve Vice President J.D. Vance, according to a U.S. official.
Qatar has long acted as an intermediary between Washington and Tehran, relaying proposals and attempting to bridge differences over Iran’s nuclear programme and the terms for ending the conflict. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday that negotiations with Iran had made little progress and that he did not see an imminent breakthrough.
Speaking before leaving Florida for a G7 foreign ministers meeting in Paris, Rubio noted that Trump preferred a diplomatic solution but described Iran’s demands as “unacceptable” and, in some cases, “outrageous and ridiculous, and really not realistic.” Trump said he was highly unlikely to order new strikes against Iran if negotiations made progress and produced a strong agreement, but warned that the United States had identified additional infrastructure targets, including bridges, should military action resume.
The meeting underscores the United States’ continued effort to keep diplomatic channels open while preparing for potential military contingencies.
