- Trump says negotiations on Iran’s denuclearization are progressing well.
- Iran’s nuclear program not discussed in Doha: sources.
- Iran says Doha talks are over; neither side claims a major breakthrough.
The United States and Iran concluded a series of indirect talks without any signs of progress toward a lasting peace, instead focusing on issues they said had been resolved when an interim deal was announced two weeks ago.
Sources close to the discussions said negotiators from the two countries spent two days in Doha discussing maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz and the unfreezing of Iranian funds, two crucial issues under the original deal.
The next meeting will take place after the funeral of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who is due to be buried on July 9, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said.
The Doha talks produced “positive progress” on issues related to the memorandum that ended the war in June and “build on the results” of a summit in Switzerland, the ministry spokesperson said in a message on X.
In Washington, U.S. President Donald Trump said both sides were making progress on possible limits to Iran’s nuclear program – the main reason he launched war with Israel in February.
“The denuclearization of Iran is progressing well,” he told reporters. “They had some really good games and we’ll see.”
But the sources said the nuclear program was not discussed during the negotiations, which were technical in nature.
US Vice President JD Vance said the issue would be addressed later. “Obviously we are concerned about the nuclear issue, we are going to start talking about it,” he told reporters.
US and Iranian negotiators held separate meetings with Qatari and Pakistani mediators, Qatar’s foreign ministry said.
Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and top U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, sent to the region for what the White House called “high-level” talks, did not attend the sessions, according to a source who requested anonymity.
The head of the Iranian delegation, Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, declared that the negotiations were over. Neither side has said whether it has managed to iron out its differences.
Who controls the strait?
The initial agreement calls for Iran and the United States to allow the resumption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which carried a fifth of the world’s trade in oil and liquid natural gas before the war. Although traffic has partially resumed, the status of this strategic waterway remains uncertain and the two countries exchanged strikes last weekend following an Iranian attack on a cargo ship.
Iran is determined to gain international recognition of its control over the strait, even if it has to do so by force, two senior Iranian sources said, and has repeatedly said it will assess tolls on shipping starting in mid-August, after the expiration of a tolling period specified by the original deal.
Trump’s comments Wednesday downplayed the possibility of a return to all-out war with Iran. “I think they’ve come a long way,” he said.
Oil prices fell to their lowest level in four months after Trump’s remarks, and analysts lowered their price forecasts for the first time since the start of the war.
Iranian state media reported Wednesday that a foreign container ship had run aground in shallow waters outside the shipping route designated by Iranian authorities.
“Hormuz continues to reopen, but it is uneven, unpredictable and not completely transparent,” said Vandana Hari, founder of oil market analytics provider Vanda Insights.
Several European countries have offered to help clear mines from the strait, but German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said he did not expect his country to participate, citing Iran’s refusal to cooperate with other countries.
