President Donald Trump said Iran talks are being hosted today in Qatar, and his envoy Steve Witkoff is en route to the capital Doha, according to two US officials.
But Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said no talks are scheduled with the US at any level in the coming days, though an expert Iranian delegation will travel to Doha later this week.
Baghaei said Iran and the US have not yet entered the stage of negotiating a final agreement.
The inconsistency in messaging raises further doubts that negotiators can meet their 60-day deadline after the two sides traded attacks over the weekend, straining their already fragile ceasefire.
Here’s what we’re covering:
- In Iran: Baghaei said that under Clause 13 of the US-Iran memorandum, talks on a final agreement can begin only after implementation has started on Clauses 1, 4, 5, 10 and 11. He said the US has issued licenses tied to Clause 10, which covers oil sales, and that Iran is following up on implementing them. He also said the implementation of Clause 11, related to frozen assets, is also being pursued. In that context, an expert delegation will travel to Doha later this week, he said, adding that any US visit to Qatar is unrelated to the Iranian delegation’s trip.
- Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran will honor its commitments if the US does the same, while warning that Tehran will respond firmly to threats. He also said that half of Iran’s $12 billion in frozen assets held in Qatar will be returned to Tehran — an issue on which the US has issued conflicting statements.
- In the US: White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News there will be high-level talks with technical talks on the sidelines. “Special Envoy (Steve) Witkoff and (Trump’s son-in-law) Jared Kushner will be flying to Doha for high-level meetings this week,” she said.
- In Israel: Defense Minister Israel Katz said Trump insisted on linking the wars in Lebanon and Iran during ceasefire talks, despite his country’s desire to handle them as separate conflicts. He said Israel had received US backing to stay in Lebanon until Hezbollah is disarmed across the country.
- In the Strait of Hormuz: The removal of mines will be carried out solely by Iran, its deputy foreign minister said, pushing back on remarks by President Emmanuel Macron suggesting that France, Oman and others would collaborate. Over two dozen commercial vessels transited the chokepoint over 24 hours, according to MarineTraffic data, a fraction of pre-war levels.
- In Lebanon: Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, considered a key ally of Hezbollah, slammed the US-brokered agreement between Israel and his country, saying it “won’t be implemented.” Conflict between Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israeli forces in south Lebanon continued over the weekend, days after the countries signed a new truce.
CNN’s Ellis Kim, Mohammed Tawfeeq, Aileen Graef, Dalia Abdelwahab and Casey Gannon contributed to this reporting.
