US-Iran Talks via Qatar Fail as Both Sides Refuse Concessions

US-mediated talks between the US and Iran via Qatari intermediaries failed this week, with neither side willing to make concessions, according to Axios. Qatari mediator Ali al-Tawadi met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in New York and later with US envoy Jared Kushner in Washington. The White House had signaled optimism, but President Trump publicly denied offering anything to Iran. The talks reached a stalemate, with Iran demanding the US lift its naval blockade and return to a June memorandum, while the US insists on nuclear concessions. Both sides increasingly view renewed military conflict as more likely.