DOHA/
TEHRAN:
Iran will hold ?talks with mediator Qatar on Wednesday (today) ?to discuss the implementation of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), with the Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson saying that the release of country’s ?frozen assets would be a key topic of discussion.
Esmaeil Baghaei said on ?Tuesday that no meeting was planned with the US side in Doha in the coming days and that steps to release Iran’s frozen funds were underway. Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday that $6 billion of Iran’s frozen funds in Qatar had not yet been transferred to Tehran.
The statement came as prospects for a broader US-Iran agreement remained uncertain after US President Donald Trump said a meeting with Iran was set in Qatar, while Tehran insisted no direct negotiations with Washington had been scheduled and Qatar said only technical discussions were expected this week.
US envoy Steve Witkoff and President Trump’s adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner arrived in Doha amid renewed diplomatic efforts to implement a June 17 MoU intended to end months of conflict and pave the way for a permanent settlement.
However, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari said no high-level US-Iran meeting was planned, with discussions expected to focus on technical issues that could later be elevated to senior officials.
Baghaei said Tehran would hold talks with mediator Qatar to discuss implementation of the interim agreement, including the release of Iranian assets frozen abroad, but stressed that “no meeting at any level with the American side has been scheduled for the coming days”.
The White House had said on Monday that Witkoff and Kushner would hold “high-level meetings” in Doha, while Trump told reporters the meeting “is going to be perhaps important, perhaps not, we’re going to find out.”
The Islamabad MoU gave Washington and Tehran 60 days to negotiate a permanent agreement following months of conflict that began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28. The war disrupted global energy supplies, exposed Gulf states to Iranian missile and drone attacks and left thousands dead.
Uncertainty over the diplomatic track comes despite easing of oil prices after recent de-escalation. A key issue remains the Strait of Hormuz, through which about one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas trade passed before the conflict.
Iran has tightened control over the strategic waterway alongside Oman, insisting that vessels use designated shipping corridors and warning that ships deviating from approved routes would increase regional tensions.
Iran and Oman have also begun discussions on implementing arrangements for the strait under the MoU. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi rejected suggestions that foreign countries could participate in de-mining operations in the Hormuz, insisting the task would be carried out only by Iran.
The United States has accused Iran of attacking commercial shipping in recent days and responded with strikes on Iranian military facilities. Tehran retaliated by launching missiles and drones at US military sites in Kuwait and Bahrain, with both sides accusing each other of violating the ceasefire.
The interim US-Iran deal envisages ending hostilities between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, but Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri questioned a separate US-brokered framework with Israel, while Hezbollah has opposed plans for its disarmament.
