Iran Denies Direct US Talks as Doha Negotiations Resume Amid Hormuz Tensions
Iranian officials are expected in Doha Wednesday for talks with Qatari mediators on implementing a landmark June 17 memorandum of understanding with the United States, a day after American negotiators arrived in the Qatari capital, according to officials and media reports Tuesday.
Iranian officials are expected in Doha Wednesday for talks with Qatari mediators on implementing a landmark June 17 memorandum of understanding with the United States, a day after American negotiators arrived in the Qatari capital, according to officials and media reports Tuesday.
Conflicting Accounts of What Is Happening in Doha
Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani met separately with US envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, as efforts to restart direct negotiations between Tehran and Washington continued. The US and Iran signed an MoU on June 17 extending their ceasefire by 60 days, during which both sides agreed to negotiate their differences — including the future of the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s frozen assets, long-term sanctions relief and Tehran’s nuclear programme.
The Nuclear Programme and Frozen Assets at the Centre
US Vice President JD Vance told Fox News the Trump administration was in a “great position” regardless of how the talks pan out. The US “obviously” wants the talks to succeed, Vance said, but added that his country was “still in a much stronger position” than Iran even if negotiations fail. He insisted that Tehran’s nuclear programme and military have been “destroyed,” and warned that any Iranian attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz would prompt a US military response. “There were scheduled talks, really technical talks, building on the negotiation that we have already had. Those are definitely happening tomorrow,” Vance said.
Iranian Leaders Stay Away as Deadline Approaches
Tehran has denied holding direct talks with the US in Doha, and many senior Iranian leaders are not present. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran expected $6bn of its frozen funds to be released by the US as a first step. Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Tuesday that Iranian negotiators would be in Doha on Wednesday for talks with Qatari officials on those funds and other elements of the MoU. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Consultative Assembly Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf have both remained absent from the Doha proceedings. Alex Vatanka, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, told Al Jazeera that growing scepticism within Iran’s leadership about the MoU may explain the reticence. “This MoU sounds impressive on paper, but where is the action? Where are the frozen assets that are supposed to be released? Where is Iran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz? Why is Israel still in Lebanon?” Vatanka said.
What Comes Next
Technical talks are scheduled to proceed Wednesday in Doha, but the absence of senior Iranian officials underscores the fragility of the June 17 MoU. Scott Uehlinger, a US national security expert, said Washington is using the indirect format to manage tensions over the Strait of Hormuz. “I think the main point of the American negotiators is to try to use the technical talks as a way of heading off some difficulties which are clearly lying in the future,” Uehlinger told Al Jazeera. The 60-day ceasefire window is ticking. If the technical discussions produce no breakthrough on Iran’s frozen assets and Hormuz access, the risk of renewed confrontation over the strategic waterway — through which roughly a fifth of the world’s oil passes — will intensify sharply.
The Strait of Hormuz carries roughly 21 million barrels of oil per day, about a fifth of global consumption. Any disruption reverberates through energy markets worldwide. The June 17 MoU bought a fragile ceasefire, but core disagreements over sanctions relief, nuclear limits and Hormuz naval access remain unresolved. Without a credible breakthrough in the coming weeks, analysts warn both sides may retreat to the more confrontational postures that defined the first half of 2026.
