U.S. envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff arrived in Qatar on Tuesday for talks about Iran, but will meet with mediators rather than Iranian officials directly, according to multiple reports. Iran denied that any meeting with the United States was planned, while saying it was sending an expert team to Doha.
The diplomacy centers on a memorandum of understanding signed on June 17 that halted a four-month war between Iran on one side and the United States and Israel on the other. Among its terms is the release of about $6bn in frozen Iranian assets, which Tehran says has not yet been transferred.
What's on the table
Iran's team is in Doha to follow up on those frozen funds, which Iranian officials have tied directly to the pace of the broader negotiations, according to Al Jazeera. President Donald Trump has said Tehran will not be allowed to run a nuclear programme, though the specifics of the nuclear question remain unresolved under the June agreement.
The talks were originally meant to take place in Switzerland and to focus on Iran's nuclear programme, but the recent escalation moved the venue and shifted attention toward tensions over the Strait of Hormuz, the shipping chokepoint Iran has threatened to disrupt.
Disputes over implementation
The indirect format — envoys talking to mediators rather than to each other — reflects the absence of direct U.S.-Iran meetings. Disagreements over the Strait of Hormuz and the slow implementation of the memorandum have complicated the process, and the unreleased funds have become an early point of friction.
What to watch
Whether the frozen assets are transferred, and whether the indirect contacts in Doha lead to direct negotiations on the nuclear file, will be among the clearest indicators of whether the June agreement holds. For now, both governments are describing the contacts cautiously, with Iran publicly denying direct talks even as its experts travel to the same city.