Iran announced on Monday that formal negotiations with the United States regarding a final agreement, including Tehran’s nuclear program, have yet to commence. This statement added to the uncertainty over whether direct talks between the two nations would take place in Doha this week, even though both sides have dispatched delegations to Qatar.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei emphasized that Iran has not entered the negotiation stage for a conclusive deal and confirmed that no meetings with the US delegation are scheduled in the coming days. He clarified that no negotiation sessions at any level with American officials will occur soon, and the Iranian technical team’s visit to Qatar is unrelated to the presence of the US delegation.
The remarks arrived as technical teams from Iran and the US traveled to Doha following a weekend marked by missile exchanges, testing the fragile interim ceasefire aimed at ending a conflict that has lasted four months. President Donald Trump sent his son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff to lead the American delegation. Trump himself expressed uncertainty about the outcome, commenting that the Doha meeting “is going to be perhaps important, perhaps not. We’re going to find out.”
The United States and Iran had previously agreed on a 60-day framework to implement a 14-point memorandum of understanding, extend the ceasefire established in April, address Iran’s nuclear program, and negotiate a permanent resolution. However, accusations from both sides regarding breaches of the agreement have hindered progress.
In a significant development, a senior Iranian official indicated that discussions in Doha would primarily focus on easing regional tensions and managing security in the Strait of Hormuz, rather than engaging in direct negotiations with the United States. Another official noted that Iranian and US technical teams were expected to meet separately with mediators from Qatar and Pakistan.
The ongoing uncertainty has raised concerns about the durability of the ceasefire and the safety of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global oil shipping lane. Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian announced that $6 billion of Iran’s frozen assets held in Qatar would be released, describing the agreement with Washington as “a great victory for the Iranian people.” Following renewed hostilities over the weekend, oil prices surged by more than 1%, underscoring the precariousness of the truce.
