Iran Sends Negotiators to Qatar, Complaining That U.S. Demands Are ‘Excessive’

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi are in Doha, Qatar, as of Monday for negotiations with neighboring states in the service of finalizing a peace agreement with the United States.

The visit follows a series of public statements from President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio affirming that Tehran and Washington have made progress in their negotiations towards peace. Both have cautioned that the two sides still disagree sharply on core issues remaining unresolved and that talks will take time to yield results, but the tone of their remarks indicated an optimism absent from previous attempts at ending the conflict.

President Trump announced Operation Epic Fury in February, meant to eliminate Iran’s ability to pose a threat to its neighbors through its missile and drone programs. On February 28, Trump announced that American strikes had killed the longtime dictator of Iran,