Iran and the US wrapped up a fresh round of indirect talks in Doha on Wednesday, though negotiators showed little sign of progress toward a lasting peace agreement. Instead, the two-day discussions centered on issues both sides had described as settled under an interim deal reached two weeks earlier, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Negotiators focused primarily on maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and the unfreezing of Iranian funds, both key components of the initial agreement.
However, the next round of talks will not take place until after funeral processions conclude for Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who is due to be buried on 9 July, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said.
Qatar Cites “Positive Progress”
A ministry spokesperson said the Doha talks produced positive progress on matters related to the memorandum that halted the war in June, adding that negotiators built on the outcomes of a recent summit in Switzerland.
American and Iranian delegations held separate meetings with Qatari and Pakistani mediators rather than sitting down together directly.
Notably, Jared Kushner and top US envoy Steve Witkoff, whom the White House had billed as leading “high-level” talks, did not attend the sessions, a source said on condition of anonymity. Iran’s delegation leader, Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, confirmed the talks had concluded, though neither side revealed whether they had bridged any remaining differences.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump told reporters that Iran’s denuclearization was moving along well and that negotiators had held very good meetings. Still, sources said the nuclear program did not actually come up during the technical discussions. US Vice President JD Vance acknowledged the issue remains a concern and said Washington would address it later.
Hormuz Status Remains Unclear
The original deal calls for both countries to allow shipping to resume through the Strait of Hormuz, which handled one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas trade before the war began. Although traffic has partially resumed, the waterway’s status stays murky, and the two nations exchanged strikes last weekend after Iran attacked a cargo ship.
Iranian sources say Tehran remains determined to secure international recognition of its control over the strait, even by force if necessary, and plans to start charging shipping tolls in mid-August once the current toll-free period expires. Oil market analyst Vandana Hari noted that Hormuz continues to reopen, but unevenly and unpredictably.
Oil prices fell to a four-month low following Trump’s comments, as analysts trimmed price forecasts for the first time since the conflict erupted.
