There will be no direct technical talks or meetings between Iranian and U.S. officials while both sides are in Doha, Qatar, this week, the country’s Foreign Ministry announced Tuesday.
Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said in a statement that President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff will instead meet with mediators to discuss negotiations.
Iranian Foreign Minister Esmael Baghaei confirmed Tuesday in a briefing that Iranian diplomats would be in Qatar for two days but would not meet with U.S. officials. The delegation’s role, he said, would be to discuss U.S. progress toward implementing the provisions of the memorandum of understanding with Qatari mediators.
Mr. Baghaei added that Iranian officials will discuss the status of $6 billion of frozen Iranian assets held in Qatar. Mr. al-Ansari said Tuesday that the assets had not been transferred to Iran and that procedural negotiations had not taken place.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Monday that $6 billion of the $12 billion in funds held in Qatar would be released and returned.
Under the terms of the memorandum of understanding, the U.S. must make Iran’s frozen assets available after the implementation of the agreement.
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The indirect discussions come after both sides exchanged military strikes over the weekend, threatening to destroy an already fragile ceasefire agreement.
Iran and the U.S. had met for direct negotiations earlier in June in Geneva after the two countries signed the U.S.-backed memorandum of understanding, which established a ceasefire and a 60-day negotiating window.
The negotiations are intended to address the future of Iran’s nuclear program, sanctions relief and control over the Strait of Hormuz.
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