Qatar is engaged in discreet negotiations with Iranian officials to secure the release of Jewish prisoners, according to Israel’s public broadcaster Kan News.
Citing sources familiar with the matter, the broadcaster reported that Doha hoped the mediation efforts would be viewed positively in Washington and help strengthen its relationship with the US administration.
Kan also reported on Sunday that Qatar was involved in parallel efforts to secure the release of American citizens held in Iran.
According to the report, five Jews have been recently arrested by Iranian authorities on charges including the allegation they criticised the regime during the recent military escalation between Iran and the US.
Tehran has a history of negotiating prisoner exchanges involving foreign nationals, often through third-party mediators.
Most recently, an American citizen who had been detained in Iran since 2024 was released, a move welcomed publicly by US President Donald Trump.
Kan also reported there had been a crackdown on Iran’s Jewish community following the launch of Israel’s Operation Rising Lion against the country on June 13, 2025.
In July 2025, Iranian authorities reportedly detained two American Jews on suspicion of ties to Israel, and an additional 33 members of Iran’s Jewish community were arrested over alleged links to Israel.
Iran is home to the largest Jewish community in the Middle East outside Israel. Tens of thousands of Jews remain in the country despite decades of political hostility between Tehran and Jerusalem.
Neither Qatari nor Iranian officials have publicly confirmed the reports of mediation efforts.
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