Iranian negotiators left talks with US and Qatari mediators in Doha on Sunday, while a draft proposal for a US deal circulates with a possible follow-up meeting, reports NY Post citing sources

Iranian negotiators left talks with US and Qatari mediators in Doha on Sunday, while a draft proposal for a US deal circulates with a possible follow-up meeting, reports NY Post citing sources.

Delegations walking out of mediated rounds while a draft text continues to circulate is a familiar rhythm in indirect talks of this kind: departure is often leverage rather than breakdown, and the existence of a written proposal with a mooted follow-up meeting is the tell that the channel remains open. Past episodes of US-Iran negotiation have tended to run as long cycles of recessed sessions, leaked drafts, and re-engagement, with mediators shuttling positions rather than the parties meeting directly. The sourcing matters here: a single outlet citing unnamed sources on draft contents sits lower on the reliability ladder than official confirmation, and prior rounds have produced a steady flow of such reports that were later walked back. For crude, the established transmission is the geopolitical risk premium rather than physical supply, since Iranian barrels have remained under sanctions through these cycles; the cases that move the curve differently are a genuine path to sanctions relief, which presses on the front via expected return of exports, versus escalation, which lifts prompt spreads through freight and insurance costs on Gulf transit. Worth watching is whether the follow-up meeting is confirmed and scheduled, whether either side's officials acknowledge or deny the draft, and any parallel movement in sanctions enforcement rhetoric.