- Pakistan, Qatar help refine proposal.
- Israel wants the war resumed.
- Iran reviewing updated peace draft.
A revised Iran peace proposal drafted by Pakistan and Qatar triggered a tense call between US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Axios reported, as Washington and Tehran weighed a possible deal to end the war.
The report said Qatar and Pakistan, with input from other regional mediators, worked on a revised peace memo to bridge gaps between the US and Iran while Trump considered whether to order a major strike or continue pursuing negotiations.
Netanyahu remains deeply sceptical of the talks and wants to resume the war to further degrade Iran’s military capabilities and weaken the regime by destroying critical infrastructure.
Trump, however, has continued to say he believes a deal can be reached, while warning that the war could resume if negotiations fail.
“The only question is do we go and finish it up or are they gonna be signing a document. Let’s see what happens,” Trump said on Wednesday at the Coast Guard Academy.
He later said the US and Iran were “right on the borderline” between reaching a deal and resuming the war. Trump also said Netanyahu “will do whatever I want him to do” on Iran, while adding that the two leaders had a good relationship.
Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Egypt have been working in recent days to refine the proposal. One source said there was no separate Qatari draft, but that Qatar was trying to bridge gaps from the previous Pakistani proposal.
A Qatari diplomat told Axios that Doha “has been and continues to support the Pakistani-led mediation efforts”, adding that Qatar had consistently advocated de-escalation “for the sake of the region and its people”.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry said negotiations were continuing “based on Iran’s 14-point proposal” and that Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi was in Tehran to assist the mediation, marking his second visit in less than a week.
The latest effort aims to secure clearer Iranian commitments on its nuclear programme and more specific US assurances on how frozen Iranian funds would be gradually released, an Arab official told Axios.
However, the report said it remained unclear whether Iran would accept the new draft or significantly shift its position.
Meanwhile, Axiosreported that Trump held a lengthy and “difficult” call with Netanyahu on Tuesday evening.
A US source briefed on the call said Trump told Netanyahu that mediators were working on a “letter of intent” that the US and Iran would sign to formally end the war and begin a 30-day negotiating period on Iran’s nuclear programme and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Two Israeli sources said Trump and Netanyahu disagreed over the way forward, while a US source said Netanyahu’s “hair was on fire” after the call.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson said talks could succeed only if the US ended its “piracy” against Iranian ships and agreed to release frozen funds, while Israel would have to end its war in Lebanon.
Trump said the war could resume “very quickly” if Washington did not get “the right answer”, but added that he was willing to give talks a few more days.
“If I can save people from getting killed by waiting a couple of days, I think it is a great thing to do,” Trump said.
The White House and the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office declined to comment to Axios.
An Israeli source also said Netanyahu wants to travel to Washington in the coming weeks for a meeting with Trump.
2026-05-21 10:21:00
