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Iran and the United States concluded a round of indirect technical talks on Wednesday with no sign they had made headway towards a lasting peace.
Instead, the two countries focused on issues that they said had been resolved when an interim agreement was announced two weeks ago.
The indirect talks followed days of tit-for-tat military attacks by the US and Iran amid a dispute over shipping routes in the Strait of Hormuz.
Who participated in these talks?
In Doha on Wednesday, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani met US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and reaffirmed Qatar’s continued mediation efforts, alongside Pakistan, to end the war in the Middle East.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, headed the country’s technical team in the talks.
Iran’s top negotiators, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, did not attend the talks.
What did the two sides agree on?
While neither side commented on whether they had managed to bridge any of their differences during the talks, Gharibabadi told Iranian media that two meetings were held.
The first meeting addressed the US’s “violations of its obligations”, Gharibabadi said, adding that the sides decided to establish a communication channel to resolve disputes.
The second meeting addressed the release of $۶bn in frozen Iranian funds.
“During the meetings with Qatari officials, including the Central Bank, a number of issues related to the expenditure of part of the initial $۶bn were reviewed,” Gharibabadi said.
“It was agreed that, based on the needs communicated by our country, the required goods would be purchased and made available to Iran.”
What about the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s nuclear programme?
US Vice President JD Vance said discussions were held on the Strait of Hormuz, while informed sources said Tehran’s nuclear programme, its frozen funds and the conflict in Lebanon were also on the table.
Based on shipping data, commercial traffic through the strait appears to be rebounding. According to data from Kpler, commercial ship movements through the Strait of Hormuz rose by more than ۵۰ percent in the week of June ۲۲–۲۸, compared with the previous week.
On Thursday, Ghalibaf denied reports that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had access to the Iranian nuclear sites bombed during the ۱۲-day war last year, namely, Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan.
The IRIB broadcaster quoted him as saying: “Currently, inspectors only have access to two locations: Bushehr power plant and Tehran reactor.”
Ghalibaf added that the parliament had passed a law barring such access.
“Parliament itself passed the law, and the Supreme National Security Council has also adopted a corresponding resolution.”
Ghalibaf’s comments came after IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said the agency’s inspectors will “have to have access and inspect” Iran’s nuclear sites under the Iran-US memorandum of understanding (MoU).
What’s next?
Qatar has said that Iranian and US negotiators had made “positive progress” during the technical talks in Doha.
“Qatar & Pakistan mediators concluded separate meetings with the US & Iranian negotiators in Doha today, with positive progress made on issues related to the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, building on the outcomes of the Lake Lucerne Summit,” Qatar foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said on Wednesday on X.
“The parties agreed to continue discussions over the coming period, with the next meeting to be scheduled as soon as possible after the conclusion of the funeral processions for the former Iranian Supreme Leader,” he added.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry issued an identical statement on Thursday.
Six-day funeral processions for former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a US-Israeli strike on the first day of the war, are set to begin on Saturday in Iran and Iraq. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is among those expected to travel to Tehran on Friday to honour Khamenei.
