Scoop: Rubio and Witkoff meet Qatari mediator in Miami on Iran deal

• As of early afternoon on Saturday, the U.S. was still awaiting Iran's latest response.

Between the lines: While Pakistan has been the official mediator between the U.S. and Iran since the beginning of the war, the Qataris have been working behind the scenes.

• The White House views them as especially effective in negotiations with Iran, U.S. officials say.
• Al-Thani met Vice President Vance yesterday in Washington. He was supposed to return to Doha immediately, but changed his plan and went to Miami, one of the sources said.
• While in Miami, he called the Saudi foreign minister to discuss the mediation effort, the source said.

• The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

What's next: The sources said the meeting focused on the path to achieving a memorandum of understanding to end the war.

• One of the sources said Qatar, Pakistan, Egypt, Turkey and Saudi Arabia are working in tandem to push for an agreement. "The mediators are urging both parties to de-escalate and focus on getting a deal."