Qatar mediating IAEA access deal as US weighs renewed Iran strikes after midterms

Qatar is leading regional mediation efforts to secure a deal allowing International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors back into Iran's nuclear sites in exchange for partial US sanctions relief, TASS reported, citing Axios.

Sources told Axios that Qatari mediators are working to restart US-Iran negotiations and prevent renewed conflict after the US congressional midterm elections on 3 November. Iran has set its own conditions: the lifting of a US naval blockade and the release of the Islamic Republic's frozen funds.

US and Israeli officials cited by Axios warned that a renewed US bombing campaign could involve a week of massive strikes on Iranian leadership, energy, nuclear and infrastructure targets.

The United States and Israel launched a war against Iran on 28 February. In June, Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding calling for an immediate ceasefire on all fronts, including in Lebanon. The US resumed large-scale attacks on Iran overnight on 8 July, accusing Tehran of breaching agreements concerning the Strait of Hormuz — a chokepoint for approximately 25 percent of global oil supplies and some 20 percent of LNG supplies.

The Trump administration has recently signalled a shift away from large-scale use of force toward economic pressure through sanctions.