The US-Iran armistice negotiations are now at a turning point. Iran is considering concessions on the nuclear issue, and Brent crude oil has fallen below 100 US dollars

The Zhitong Finance App learned that according to a diplomat with knowledge of the negotiations, the US and Iran are close to a potential breakthrough in their efforts to end the war, and Iran has shown a willingness to discuss issues related to the nuclear program that were not on the agenda before. The diplomat said that Iran is studying the plan proposed by Qatar, the chief mediator, regarding its nuclear activities. Any concessions on this issue could push negotiations forward significantly — negotiations have been at a standstill since the breakdown of the interim peace agreement reached in June.

US President Trump recently spoke with Qatari leaders to discuss efforts to ease the tension, indicating that he wants an end to this war — the war that helped the Democratic Party sweep its Republican Party in the US midterm elections this week.

The Qatar Emir's office said on Friday that Trump and Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani discussed Qatar's efforts to bridge the differences between the warring parties and reach a comprehensive agreement to end the conflict.

Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu launched an attack on Iran at the end of February, triggering the Islamic Republic of Iran's retaliation against America's allies in the Middle East region, and led to a sharp rise in energy prices and global inflation. Negotiations to end the war have broken down repeatedly, and Iran has demanded that the US lift the maritime blockade on its ports and put forward a number of other concessions.

Trump has long said that the primary goal of this war is to stop Iran from manufacturing nuclear weapons, but little is known about the scale of the country's nuclear activities since the outbreak of the conflict. Although Iran has always claimed that its nuclear work is strictly for non-military purposes, any commitment to allow greater transparency could be enough to move the peace process forward.

Many media outlets have previously reported that Iran is willing to compromise on the nuclear issue.

Ahead of Tuesday's US midterm elections, Qatari officials have been shuttling back and forth between Doha and Tehran to finalize a potential deal. In this election, the Democratic Party overwhelmingly defeated Trump's Republican Party to seize control of Congress. One reason for the reversal of the election situation is that Americans are against this war, partly because of its impact on gasoline prices.

After the vote ended, Trump said he had no plans to launch a new attack on Iran, and oil prices fell accordingly. Brent crude fell below $100 per barrel for the first time since September, and investors are betting that the Democratic Party's sweep has reduced the possibility of a full resumption of fighting — and Trump threatened to restart the war several times before the vote.

Among other recent diplomatic initiatives, according to a statement posted by Iran's foreign minister's official Telegram channel, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Alagzi spoke with Saudi and Qatari foreign ministers separately on Thursday to discuss “efforts aimed at achieving regional stability.” He also spoke with the foreign ministers of the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Kuwait, Cyprus, and Jordan.

According to a statement posted on the Russian President's website, Mohsin Rezai, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. According to IRIB, Iran's official media, Rezai handed over a letter from Supreme Leader Mujtaba Khamenei to Putin, but no further details were revealed.