Trump to meet Qatar's prime minister as Iran diplomacy faces hurdles

President Donald Trump will meet ​with Qatar's prime minister at ​the White House on ‌Monday, ​according to the White House schedule, as the conflict with Iran drags on and diplomatic efforts ‌to end it face significant obstacles. Trump is due to meet with Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, who also serves as Qatar's foreign ‌minister, in a closed-door meeting. Vice President JD Vance is also ‌scheduled to meet with the Qatari leader, according to a US official.

Qatar has played a central role as an intermediary between Washington and Tehran, conveying proposals ⁠and ​seeking to bridge differences ⁠over Iran's nuclear program 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 departing Florida for a G7 foreign ministers meeting in Paris, Rubio said 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 Sunday that ⁠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. (Reporting By Jarrett Renshaw; editing ​by Michelle Nichols )