Indirect US-Iran talks underway in Doha

Doha: Indirect talks between the United States and Iran are underway in Doha on Wednesday under the mediation of Qatar and Pakistan.

“The talks are taking place indirectly now, with no face-to-face meetings between the two sides,” a source told Xinhua news agency. “The sessions are closed and are being facilitated by the mediators.”

The source added that the discussions are focused on implementing the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) reached in Islamabad on June 17, including issues related to frozen Iranian assets and maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz.

On Tuesday, Qatar had confirmed that US President Donald Trump’s special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have reached Doha but will not hold direct meetings with the Iranian officials.

Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari said at the weekly press briefing that the US delegation would instead meet with mediators to discuss progress in implementing the recently signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the United States and Iran.

Al-Ansari also noted that the 6 billion US dollars in frozen Iranian assets have yet to be transferred to Tehran.

The remarks came amid conflicting accounts from Washington and Tehran over the nature of the latest contacts in Doha, with the United States describing the discussions as part of the implementation process for the MoU, while Iran has denied that direct negotiations with US officials are scheduled.

Later, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said Iran will not enter negotiations with the United States on a final agreement unless certain paragraphs of a recently signed MoU between the two sides are implemented.

Qalibaf, also the head of Iran’s negotiating team, made the remarks in an interview with state-run IRIB TV while elaborating on the latest developments pertaining to the implementation of the peace MoU and talks with the United States.

He said Iran’s recent trip to Switzerland sought to implement the MoU provisions for ending the war on all fronts, including Lebanon, lifting the US naval blockade, reopening the Strait of Hormuz, issuing US waivers for Iranian crude oil exports, and releasing frozen Iranian assets, Xinhua news agency reported.

Unless these five preliminary paragraphs are fulfilled, the other paragraphs’ implementation will not begin, Qalibaf said.

He said Iran, the United States and Lebanon agreed to form a joint committee to enforce the ceasefire, ensure the war’s end in Lebanon, and uphold Lebanese sovereignty, adding that Iran and the United States, two of the three parties, already named their representatives.

Iran both pursues the path of dialogue and responds with force wherever necessary, he added.

IANS