US and Iran hold indirect talks in Doha as Qatar releases half of frozen assets
U. S. officials and Iranian representatives held indirect talks in Doha as Qatar prepared to release half of Iran's frozen assets. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Qatar would return $6 billion, half of the $12 billion it holds, according to AP News. President Donald Trump announced that Iran had requested a meeting in Doha, while Iran's senior negotiator told PBS that no talks were scheduled. Trump later said a U. S. –Iran meeting was set for Doha, but Iran's foreign ministry, cited by CNN, said no negotiation sessions were planned, emphasizing the memorandum of understanding. U.
S. advisers and an Iranian delegation then met in Qatar to discuss implementation of a recently signed cease-fire, the New York Times reported. U. S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived for mediation, while Iran's foreign ministry reiterated that no direct meetings were scheduled, DW noted. The indirect negotiations showed positive progress, and the U. S. Navy continued its search for the missing MH-60S Sea Hawk crew, CNN said.
