Qatar says no direct US-Iran talks to take place in Doha

Mediator Qatar said on Tuesday that no high-level meetings or direct talks between the United States and Iran were planned in Doha after Washington said it had sent a top delegation for negotiations.

"To the best of my knowledge, there are no direct meetings scheduled between the two parties in the coming days," foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari told reporters in Doha, adding that the American team would meet with mediators.

"To my knowledge there is no high-level meeting between the two sides," he added.

Meanwhile, US envoys were meeting with Qatari mediators on Tuesday, the Gulf state's foreign ministry spokesman said, after Washington said it was sending a negotiating team.

"Mr Steve Witfoff and Mr Jared Kushner are here in Doha to meet with mediators, with Qatari officials, and the talks will be around all regional issues... including, of course, negotiations with Iran, but also including Lebanon," foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari said.

"They are not here for their negotiations with the Iranians," he added.

Iran to honour commitments if US abides by MoU: Pezeshkian

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has emphasized that his country will fully honour its commitments if the United States remains committed to the recently agreed memorandum of understanding reached through Pakistan’s mediation, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

In a post uploaded on X platform on Tuesday, President Pezeshkian described the mutual understanding as a two-way process, stressing that Tehran would reciprocate Washington’s adherence to the MoU.

He said Iran would continue to base its decisions on rationality and respect for human dignity while responding decisively to unreasonable rhetoric and unfounded threats.

Iran and the United States signed the Pakistan-mediated Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on June 18, establishing a framework to de-escalate tensions and launch negotiations toward a broader agreement.

Under the 14-point interim accord, both sides committed to a ceasefire and negotiations on outstanding issues within 60 days.

Conflicting statements

A top diplomat has dismissed media claims that technical talks between Iran and the United States were scheduled to take place in Doha this week, saying no such meetings had been planned while US President Donald Trump insisted that these will take place in Doha Tuesday (today).

Speaking to reporters, Kazem Gharibabadi, deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs, said “technical working group meetings were not scheduled for this week.”

Gharibabadi said that although consultations with Qatar, including on following up the implementation of the other side’s commitments, are continuing as usual, reports published by some media outlets about technical working group talks being held in Doha are not true.

He said the first round of technical discussions within the framework of the designated working groups would be held only after the necessary conditions are in place and once agreement has been reached on the date and venue.

“The first round of technical talks within the framework of the designated working groups will be held after the necessary conditions are met and following agreement on the date and venue, and consultations on these matters are continuing through the mediator countries,” he said.

In recent days, some media outlets had reported and speculated that a technical meeting related to the Islamabad memorandum of understanding on ending the imposed war would be held between Iran, the United States, and the mediators.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei has also denied claim that Tehran and Washington will hold talks in Qatar in the coming days.

Baqaei pointed out that the issue that the US representatives are going to Qatar is not linked to a trip by the Iranian delegation to the neighbouring country.

Speaking to reporters, Esmaeil Baghaei outlined the latest developments regarding the implementation of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) aimed at ending the recent conflict. He said Iran’s current priority is to ensure the full implementation of the commitments outlined in the agreement and that Tehran is actively pursuing its demands in this regard.

Meanwhile, Kazem Gharibabadi emphasized that the demining of the Strait of Hormuz will be carried out only by Iran. Gharibabadi made the remarks in a post on his X account after Macron (the French president) said that France is cooperating with its partners in the demining of the Strait of Hormuz.

He said that according to the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, demining will be carried out solely by Iran and not by any other country, and Iran will not allow such a thing in principle.

Gharibabadi pointed out that the situation is sensitive and complex, adding that Iran strongly advises France not to complicate the situation further with its provocations.

Trump insists Iran meeting to take place in Qatar

US President Donald Trump said Iran has requested a meeting that will be held Tuesday in Qatar, despite Tehran denying any direct negotiations were planned with Washington on the deal aimed at ending the Middle East war.

The announcement came after Iran held its first talks with Oman on managing the Strait of Hormuz since the US-Iran deal was signed, and as Washington and Tehran agreed to halt their attacks, which had strained the agreement.

"IRAN HAS REQUESTED A MEETING. IT WILL TAKE PLACE TOMORROW IN DOHA!" Trump posted Monday on his Truth Social platform, without specifying the participants.

White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt later told Fox News that US envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner "will be flying to Doha for high-level meetings this week".

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei on Monday said a delegation of the country's own experts would travel to Doha this week, but staunchly denied any sit-down with the Americans.

"We have not yet entered the stage of negotiating a final agreement," he said, noting that "over the coming days, we will not have any negotiation meetings with the US side at any level".

- Hormuz talks -
Iran's exercise of control over the highly strategic strait has sparked repeated flare-ups, the latest of which came early Sunday when US Central Command said it had attacked 10 Iranian military targets over "continued Iranian aggression against commercial shipping".

Iran said it retaliated with strikes against US bases in Kuwait and Bahrain.

The blockade remains a key sticking point in the negotiations.

Iran and Oman border the strait, through which a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas passed prior to the conflict, and Iran said Monday they held their first talks since the deal was struck.

"During a trip to Muscat, the first meeting of the Joint Hormuz Committee was held," said Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi on X.

The strait comprises Omani and Iranian territorial waters, but under international law the two cannot generally block passage or charge tolls.

Iran warned on Sunday that any attempt by ships to bypass its preferred route through Hormuz would "increase tensions" in the Middle East.

Iran insists ships transiting the strait pass through a corridor near its own shores.

How the memorandum is to be implemented remains unclear, with Iran especially sensitive about the issue of de-mining.

In a joint statement following a meeting between French President Emmanuel Macron and Omani Sultan Haitham bin Tariq, Paris and Muscat said they would conduct joint de-mining operations.

In response, Gharibabadi insisted that under the agreement only Iran was to conduct de-mining efforts.

"The situation is sensitive and complex. We strongly advise France not to complicate it further with its provocations," Gharibabadi wrote.

Traffic slowed over the weekend after a vessel was struck while transiting the waterway, with 29 commodity vessels crossing Saturday and 12 transiting Sunday, according to data from maritime tracking firm Kpler.

No vessels used a southern corridor through Omani waters according to data from Kpler, while another tracker, AXSMarine, found that 44 vessels had stopped publicly transmitting their position.

- 'Hegemonic dreams' -
The published text of the US-Iran memorandum of understanding, announced this month, says Iran will define the future administration of the strait in dialogue with Oman and the other Gulf States, but "in line" with international law.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they were taking measures to control traffic in the strait and that vessels violating those measures would be dealt with more firmly than before.

Mohammad Mokhber, adviser to Iran's supreme leader, wrote on X that as long as Iran managed the strait, Washington's "hegemonic dreams in the region will not be realised".

Experts said there would likely be more Hormuz incidents.

For Iran, "a drawn-out negotiation accompanied by controlled pressure in the strait can work to its advantage", said H.A. Hellyer of the Royal United Services Institute, a London think tank.–Agencies