US and Iranian officials have kicked off indirect, low-level technical talks in Qatar, aimed at finalizing their preliminary deal and securing a comprehensive agreement.
The indirect talks in Doha, mediated by Pakistani and Qatari officials, began on Tuesday night and continued on Wednesday, reported Reuters, citing an Iranian official.
Conflicting Priorities
Tehran seeks to gain international recognition of its control over the Strait of Hormuz and its ability to impose fees on ships transiting the Gulf, two Iranian sources said.
Iran has stated that its immediate priorities in the talks include agreeing on management of the Strait and the release of $6 billion in frozen Iranian assets.
Meanwhile, Washington’s stated priority is to ensure the free flow of traffic through Hormuz, a source with knowledge of the talks told Reuters.
At the same time, US President Donald Trump has emphasized that removing Iran’s highly enriched uranium remains his top priority. “The denuclearization of Iran is moving along well. They’ve had very good meetings, and we’ll see,” he told reporters on Wednesday.
US & Iranian Delegations
The source with knowledge of the talks explained that the current sessions involve chief negotiators and specialists.
While US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff met Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani to lay the groundwork, they are not attending the current meetings.
Furthermore, Witkoff and Kushner met with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to review progress in the US-Iran negotiations and discuss the situation in Lebanon, the Qatari Amiri Diwan said in a statement on Wednesday.
Iran’s delegation, led by Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi and featuring officials from the foreign, central bank, and agriculture ministries, has also met with the Qatari Prime Minister and regional mediators, according to IRNA.
Progress on Frozen Assets
The Wednesday indirect talks yielded an initial agreement to release $3 billion in frozen assets to Iran, Al-Arabiya reported, citing sources. Tehran has also tied the phased release of $3 billion to incremental, step-by-step progress made across the negotiations.
