Uncertainty over Qatar diplomacy clouds prospects for US-Iran deal

DOHA/DUBAI: Top US envoys who have arrived in Doha will not hold a high-level meeting with Iran, a Qatari official said on Tuesday, casting doubt on the progress of efforts to bring a lasting halt to the Iran war and fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Instead, there will be technical talks this week on issues including regional security that could later be elevated to senior level, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al Ansari told a media briefing.

The arrival of US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and envoy Steve Witkoff in Doha on Tuesday followed exchanges of fire over the weekend that tested the June 17 interim accord between the United States and Iran.

READ MORE: US-Iran meeting in Qatar today on Iran’s ‘request’?

The 14-point pact allowed 60 days for the two sides to negotiate a permanent truce in the conflict, which began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, and to resolve thorny issues including the future of Iran’s nuclear programme.

The conflict disrupted global trade in oil and other goods, exposed Gulf states to Iranian drone and missile fire and killed thousands of people, mostly in Iran and Lebanon.

Uncertainty over diplomatic efforts

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said dialogue with mediator Qatar on the implementation of the interim deal, including on the release of frozen Iranian assets, was likely to take place in Doha on Wednesday.

“No meeting at any level with the American side has been scheduled for the coming days,” he said. The White House had said on Monday that Kushner and Witkoff would hold “high-level meetings”, with technical discussions to continue on the sidelines.