U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have arrived in Qatar for discussions aimed at implementing an initial plan to end the conflict in Iran. The talks follow recent hostilities in the Persian Gulf regarding the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to shipping.
In Doha, direct negotiations with Iranian diplomats will not occur, stated Majed al-Ansari, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson. Rather, mediators will facilitate indirect talks without high-level officials. The U.S. and Iran have engaged in indirect discussions before, but past talks broke down, leading to the 12-day war Israel initiated against Iran in 2025 and the ongoing Iran conflict.
“We’re not expecting any high-level Iranian officials at the moment, but as I said, the technical meetings are ongoing and they haven’t stopped since then,” al-Ansari told journalists at a weekly news conference.
This week, Iran is also dispatching a delegation to Qatar. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei confirmed there are no planned meetings with the American side soon. The Doha talks will include discussions with Qatar about implementing various parts of a memorandum of understanding, such as releasing Iran’s blocked assets. This arrangement allows for potential message exchanges via the Qatari mediators.
The U.S. and Iran reached an interim deal earlier this month. The agreement requires Iran to reduce its enriched uranium stockpile. It relaxes U.S.-backed oil sanctions on Iran, ensures free passage through the Strait of Hormuz, and grants a 60-day window to negotiate broader terms.
The Strait of Hormuz, an essential route, previously facilitated around 20% of the world’s oil before the war, which began on February 28. Iran’s threats and attacks halted the movement of cargo ships and tankers, sparking a global energy crisis. The strait is recognized as an international waterway but lies within Iran and Oman’s territorial waters.
Last week, efforts to re-open the strait for shipping raised concerns about the potential impact on peace negotiations. Iran attacked vessels in the strait, which included a tanker carrying Qatari crude, prompting retaliatory U.S. airstrikes. Recently, Iran also launched drone and missile strikes against targets in Bahrain and Kuwait.