Iranian and US negotiating teams were due in Doha this week, but Iran said on Monday no meeting had been scheduled, as weekend missile fire from both sides tested the interim ceasefire ending the four-month war between the countries. President Donald Trump is sending his son-in-law Jared Kushner and envoy Steve Witkoff to lead the American negotiating team, according to press secretary Karoline Leavitt. Iran is separately sending a technical delegation to Qatar this week, but Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said the trip had "no relation" to the Americans' visit. "We will not have any negotiation meetings at any level with the American side in the coming days," he said.
The disagreement over whether the sides would meet at all underscored the fragility of the 17 June accord that paused a conflict disrupting global oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz and creating a political headache for Trump ahead of November's congressional elections. The US and Iran gave themselves at least 60 days to implement a 14-point memorandum of understanding extending an earlier ceasefire, discuss Iran's nuclear programme and negotiate a permanent truce, but progress has been halting, with each side accusing the other of violating agreed terms. A senior Iranian official said a meeting would take place in Doha on Tuesday, though unlike previous technical talks held in Switzerland, the focus this time would be narrower: managing the strait and de-escalating tensions. A separate official said US and Iranian technical teams were expected to meet individually with Qatari and Pakistani mediators on Wednesday.
Perhaps important, perhaps not
Maritime traffic through the strait, which previously carried about a fifth of global oil trade, came to a virtual standstill after the US and Israel attacked Iran on 28 February. Israel has not joined the peace talks and has distanced itself from the agreement. The tension between Washington and Tehran has also complicated a separate, US-brokered effort to end fighting in Lebanon, where Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, an ally of Iran-backed Hezbollah, has cast doubt on that agreement. Trump struck a cautious tone on the Doha meeting's prospects. "The meeting in Doha is going to be perhaps important, perhaps not. We're going to find out," he told reporters in the Oval Office, while maintaining "we're winning militarily" and repeating his demand that Iran be stopped from producing a nuclear weapon.
Iran has sought leverage by asserting control over the strait it shares with Oman, saying it plans to charge fees to vessels using the waterway and obstructing ships that stray outside defined shipping paths. The US has accused Iran of striking at least two commercial ships with missiles or drones in recent days and bombed Iranian military facilities in response; Iran in turn launched missiles and drones at US military sites in Kuwait and Bahrain early on Sunday.
Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio briefed members of Congress by phone on Monday. Republican Senator Steve Daines said the two officials kept their remarks to a minimum but called the conversation "constructive." Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer was sharply critical, calling the briefing "deficient, and devoid of details." "After dragging America into a costly war, the Trump administration still can't name a single thing Americans got in return," Schumer said, adding that Rubio had confirmed Iran would reap billions in oil revenue while retaining leverage over the strait.
"A great victory for the Iranian people"
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Monday that $6 billion of $12 billion in assets frozen in Qatar would be released and returned to Iran, describing the memorandum, which includes US sanctions waivers for Iran's oil and petrochemical sectors, as "a great victory for the Iranian people." Oil prices rose more than 1% after the weekend's hostilities exposed the fragility of the accord. French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday he was working with Oman to de-escalate tensions and would cooperate with partners to demine the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi rejected the offer in a post on X, saying mine removal was to be carried out solely by Iran under the terms of the 14-point plan, and warned France against complicating the situation.
Source: Reuters
