US envoys Witkoff, Kushner meeting mediators in Doha

DOHA: US envoys were meeting with Qatari mediators on Tuesday, the Gulf state’s foreign ministry spokesman said, after Washington said it was sending a negotiating team.

“Mr. Steve Witkoff and Mr. Jared Kushner are here in Doha to meet with mediators, with Qatari officials, and the talks will be around all regional issues,” foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari said.

Talks with the envoys would include discussions on Iran but also other topics including Lebanon, the spokesman said.

“They are not here for their negotiations with the Iranians,” he added.

Both the US and Iran had said they would send officials for meetings in Qatar to discuss a memorandum of understanding agreed between the two sides aimed at ending the Middle East war, which broke out on February 28 with US-Israeli strikes on Iran.

Ansari clarified that no high-level meetings or direct talks between the United States and Iran were planned in Doha.

“To the best of my knowledge, there are no direct meetings scheduled between the two parties in the coming days,” he said.

He explained that an Iranian “technical delegation travels to and from Doha based on the progress of negotiations. There is currently no high-level delegation present”.

The so-called technical talks, negotiations between lower-ranking officials on details, included “tracks on the nuclear side… a track on the economic and state performance issue” as well as security, the spokesman said.

Qatar had previously refused to enter into mediation under Iranian fire as Tehran launched an unprecedented aerial bombardment against Gulf states in retaliation for the US-Israeli strikes.

However, the Gulf emirate has played an active role in negotiations in recent weeks after an initial April ceasefire was brokered by Pakistan.