US and Iran held parallel talks in Doha, mediated by Qatar

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iranian and US officials held parallel talks in Doha over the past two days with Qatari mediators, according to a US-based news website, which cited a regional source. Qatar has been trying to arrange a three-way meeting to prepare the ground for direct negotiations between Tehran and Washington, but Iran rejected the proposal, the report said. Separately, Fox News, citing a senior Trump administration official, reported that US-Iran peace negotiations continued on Wednesday despite President Donald Trump's threat of new strikes on Tehran. The unnamed official said "talks are still ongoing" and added that Washington would continue applying maximum pressure to reach a deal with Tehran. Trump accused Iran of "deceiving" the United States in the talks and pledged fresh, harsh strikes. The United States carried out airstrikes on multiple sites in southern Iran on Tuesday evening, and Iran responded with ballistic missiles and drones targeting US bases in Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan.