US envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner have arrived in Doha and will meet Qatari mediators to discuss US-Iran negotiations, but will not be holding talks with Tehran's representatives, a Qatari official has said.
The arrival of Mr Kushner and Mr Witkoff in the Gulf state follows an agreement between the US and Iran to end days of retaliatory attacks over the Strait of Hormuz. Those skirmishes had threatened to undermine a ceasefire and the prospect of advancing an interim peace agreement signed on June 17.
The 14-point pact allowed 60 days for the two sides to negotiate an end to the war that began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28 and to resolve thorny issues including the future of Tehran's nuclear programme.
The conflict disrupted global trade in oil and other goods, exposed Gulf states to Iranian drone and missile fire, and killed thousands of people, the vast majority of them in Iran and Lebanon.
Speaking at a press briefing on Tuesday, Esmaeil Baghaei, Qatar's Foreign Ministry spokesman, said there were no immediate plans for further direct talks between the US and Iran. “No meeting at any level with the American side has been scheduled for the coming days,” he said.
He said $6 billion of Iran's frozen funds in Qatar had not yet been transferred to Tehran, and that the release of the money was linked to the progress of negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
Esmaeil Baghaei, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, said talks with Qatar on the implementation of the interim deal, including the release of the frozen Iranian assets, were likely to take place in Doha on Wednesday.
“What will probably take place tomorrow in Doha is a discussion with the Qatari parties about the implementation of clauses of the memorandum of understanding, including the clause related to the release of Iran’s frozen assets,” Mr Baghaei said. He also confirmed there were no plans for talks with the US in the coming days.
The White House said on Monday that Mr Kushner and Mr Witkoff would hold “high-level meetings” in Doha, with technical discussions to continue on the sidelines.
Since Thursday, the US has accused Iran of hitting at least two commercial ships with missiles or drones, and has bombed Iranian military facilities in response.
Iran, in turn, launched missiles and drones at US military sites in Kuwait and Bahrain on Sunday, with each side accusing the other of breaking the ceasefire.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a post on X that his country will fulfil its obligations under the deal with the US if Washington also abides by the terms. “An agreement is mutual,” he said.
A contentious point in the deal is the future management of the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supplies normally flow.
Iran is determined to control the passage of maritime traffic through the waterway, which was all but shut when the conflict started in late February, leading to a surge in energy prices.
Earlier, Iran’s deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi said the country wants to work out an agreement with Oman, which borders the southern side of the strait, to oversee ships passing through it. Iran will move forward with its own plans “if for any reason Oman is not interested in doing so,” he said.
Iran has signalled that ships may have to pay fees to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, a move the US, Europe and most Gulf Arab states strongly oppose. Oman has insisted it will abide by international maritime law, but privately warned European officials that such payments may be inevitable, Bloomberg reported last week.
The interim deal says Iran will not charge tolls for 60 days but leaves open the possibility of ships being asked to pay some fees after that.
The Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman said at his briefing that the Strait of Hormuz, as well as the system for its reopening and the resumption of navigation, is a crucial issue. He added that Doha was co-ordinating with Oman regarding the waterway and the safe passage of ships.
The UN trade and development agency has warned that while reopening the strait will bring immediate relief to energy markets, vulnerable economies remain at risk from prolonged increases in food and fuel costs.
Food and transport systems are likely to take longer than energy markets to recover, as supply chains need more time to reset following more than 100 days of severe disruption to shipping through the waterway, the UN Conference on Trade and Development said in a report.
