US special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner arrived in Doha on Tuesday — but Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesman made clear they were there to meet mediators, not Iranians. “They are not here for their negotiations with the Iranians,” Majed al-Ansari told reporters, stressing that no high-level meetings or direct talks between the two sides were scheduled in the coming days.
The visit follows a fragile truce after a four-day exchange of strikes triggered by a dispute over the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20% of global oil and gas shipments pass. The strikes threatened a preliminary agreement to end the four-month war between the US, Israel and Iran. That agreement was cemented in a memorandum of understanding (MoU) brokered by Pakistan and Qatar less than two weeks ago, committing the countries to halt military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon, and immediately reopen the strait. They gave themselves at least 60 days to reach a final deal covering Iran’s nuclear programme, US sanctions and a permanent truce.
“US envoys in Doha for mediator talks but will not meet Iranians, as tensions persist over Strait of Hormuz tolls.”
Encouraging progress was reported after a first round of talks in Switzerland a week ago, attended by US Vice-President JD Vance and Iran’s Parliamentary Speaker Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf. Mediators said a “communication line” had been formed for safe passage of commercial vessels. But that failed to prevent the recent exchanges of strikes, which began when Iran attacked a cargo ship on Thursday following efforts to open Oman’s territorial waters to both inbound and outbound traffic on the southern side of the strait. Iran had warned vessels that the only route was through its own waters on the northern side.
On Sunday night, a US official said both sides would “stand down for now” and that vessels could “move freely” in and around the strait, with technical talks to “continue on all areas of the MoU”. Yet the next day, Iran’s deputy foreign minister and lead technical negotiator, Kazem Gharibabadi, denied plans for technical talks this week.
Meanwhile, Iran announced that indirect talks over unfreezing at least $6bn of Iranian assets will recommence on Wednesday in Doha. The two sides are yet to have their first face-to-face meeting since signing the deal. The US team is seeking details of a plan for Iran to charge tolls in the strait, and how that relates to proposals from Oman that would introduce fees for navigational services. Western powers object to Iran’s toll plan but may be more open to discussing Oman’s proposal for voluntary contributions.
From Tehran, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei warned European powers such as France and the UK not to seek involvement in de-mining the strait. “Iran is better aware of its responsibilities than any other party and is capable of fulfilling them, and there is no need for the intervention of others. Interventions that, even if made with good intentions, will in practice only complicate the situation,” he said.
The lack of direct contact on implementing the MoU reflects tensions over Iran’s determination to maintain control over commercial oil tanker traffic, as well as its opposition to the proposed Lebanon ceasefire negotiated by Israel, the US and the Lebanese government last week. Talks on Iran’s nuclear programme have not even started, even though only 60 days from 17 June had been set aside to complete the complex talks. In theory those talks can be extended, but slow progress is starting to alarm some diplomats.