Talks focus on Iran's frozen assets and the Strait of Hormuz

US Vice President J.D. Vance waits with Steve Witkoff, special envoy for peace missions, and Jared Kushner, son-in-law of President Donald Trump, before a meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at the Bürgenstock Resort on the shores of Lake Lucerne near Stansstad, Switzerland, on June 21 (local time). [Getty Images]
US Vice President J.D. Vance waits with Steve Witkoff, special envoy for peace missions, and Jared Kushner, son-in-law of President Donald Trump, before a meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at the Bürgenstock Resort on the shores of Lake Lucerne near Stansstad, Switzerland, on June 21 (local time). [Getty Images]

Working-level delegations from the United States and Iran held indirect talks in Doha, Qatar, on Tuesday (local time), AFP, Reuters and other international news agencies reported, citing diplomatic sources.

One source told AFP that US and Iranian officials had begun indirect working-level talks in Doha with Qatari and Pakistani mediators, building on progress made at the Lake Lucerne summit in Switzerland.

A senior Iranian official told Reuters that the indirect negotiations began Tuesday night, with Iran meeting separately with Qatari and Pakistani officials, who then relayed messages to the American side.

The official said the talks that continued that day focused heavily on Iran's frozen assets and the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran's working-level delegation, led by Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, called on the Qatari prime minister and held meetings with the mediators.

Jared Kushner, President Trump's eldest son-in-law, and Steve Witkoff, the US special envoy for the Middle East, met with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani the previous day but did not attend the working-level talks.

Kushner and Witkoff later met with Qatar's ruling emir to discuss the US-Iran negotiations and the situation in Lebanon.

Meanwhile, sources said the top US priority in the indirect talks was securing freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, and that intensive diplomatic activity over Lebanon was unfolding among the parties involved, including the United States.

Earlier, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told a press briefing the previous day that Iran had "no plans to hold talks with the American side at any level over the next few days," when asked about the Doha contacts between the two delegations.

He added that what was expected in Doha on Friday, July 3, was a discussion with the Qatari side on implementing several provisions of a memorandum of understanding, including those related to the release of Iran's frozen assets.

Majed bin Mohammed Al-Ansari, a spokesperson for Qatar's Foreign Ministry, also said no high-level talks between the US and Iran would take place, adding that such talks would only happen if the working-level consultations produced results.

He added that Witkoff and Kushner, who were visiting Doha, were expected to meet with Qatari mediators.


yckim6452@heraldcorp.com