US envoys in Doha as Iran denies imminent talks
U.S. representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Qatar for mediation, while Iran's foreign ministry said no direct meetings with American officials are scheduled in the coming days.
U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner landed in Doha on Friday to meet Qatari mediators overseeing the implementation of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Washington and Tehran. Qatar’s foreign ministry said the country will continue to facilitate all tracks of the talks, but confirmed that no high-level or direct meetings between the U.S. and Iranian delegations are planned for the immediate future.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told reporters that there is “no meeting at any level with the American side scheduled for the coming days,” although an Iranian delegation will discuss MoU implementation with Qatari officials, including the release of blocked Iranian assets.
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani reiterated Doha’s role as a go-between, emphasizing support for the diplomatic process while noting that direct U.S.–Iran contacts remain absent.
In Tehran, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said Iran will not enter further negotiations until the MoU’s conditions are met, warning that failure to implement the agreement could lead to renewed hostilities.
The United States maintains that the Strait of Hormuz must remain open for toll-free passage, a point of contention in the MoU. German diplomats have called for continued dialogue to secure safe, free navigation through the strait and to address Iran’s nuclear program.
President Donald Trump posted on his social platform that Iran had requested a meeting in Doha, but Iranian officials have not confirmed any such arrangement, stating that technical working group meetings are not scheduled for the week.
