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President Trump said Monday that Iran requested a meeting in Qatar to resume peace talks after a volley of strikes near the Strait of Hormuz threatened to unravel the ceasefire in recent days.
Mr. Trump, writing on social media, said negotiators would meet on Tuesday.
“Iran has requested a meeting,” Mr. Trump wrote, using all-caps for emphasis. “It will take place tomorrow in Doha.”
Iran had announced earlier on Monday that it had no plans to continue technical talks with the U.S. this week. Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister, said discussions would only take place once the correct conditions were met and mediators could agree on a time and place.
The U.S. and Iran are working on a final-stage deal to constrain Tehran’s nuclear ambitions and permanently end the Middle East conflict that began Feb. 28 with U.S.-Israeli airstrikes that killed top Iranian leaders and decimated its military infrastructure.
Iran retaliated by closing oil traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical choke point, and seems intent on keeping its grip on the waterway despite a memorandum of understanding between Iran and the U.S. that calls for unfettered traffic in the strait.
U.S. forces struck Iranian targets in recent days, citing Iranian attacks on an oil tanker trying to traverse the strait.
Tit-for-tat strikes threatened to undermine final-stage peace talks, but Mr. Trump said they are back on track with the meeting facilitated by Qatar.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, speaking on Fox News, said Special Envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff would lead the U.S. team in Doha.
“As far as we’re concerned, we’re holding up our end of the ceasefire. Violence will be met with violence,” she said. “The president obviously wants to see the peace process play out.”
The president is eager to stem the economic fallout from the conflict. Oil prices have receded to around $70 per barrel after trading above $100 at the height of the war.
The U.S. average gas price stood at $3.86 on Monday, down from about $4.40 a month ago but up 30% from the start of the war.
Decreases in gas prices often lag behind drops in oil prices, though Mr. Trump wants gas retailers to slash prices faster. He directed the Department of Justice to investigate top companies for price-gouging
“Gas prices coming down, fast! Report any abuses at retail level,” Mr. Trump wrote Monday.
French President Emmanuel Macron met with the sultan of Oman, Haitham bin Tarik, on Monday and discussed ways to improve safety in the Strait of Hormuz.
“We are working together for de-escalation in the Middle East,” Mr. Macron said on social media. “We have decided to collaborate jointly, in coordination with our partners, on demining the strait to secure maritime routes and ensure free and unconditional passage through the Strait of Hormuz.”
Also Monday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said $6 billion in frozen Iranian assets in Qatar would be released to Tehran, according to the state-affiliated IRNA News Agency. The amount would be half of the $12 billion in total Iranian assets frozen in Qatar.
The report did not elaborate on when the transaction would occur, and there was no confirmation from the U.S. side, which has said the Iranians will not see economic benefits until they satisfy the terms of the nations’ peace agreements.
• Foreign Affairs Correspondent Vaughn Cockayne contributed to this story.
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