Iran said no negotiations with the US are planned in the coming days
Iran said no negotiations with the US are planned in the coming days
6:49
President Donald Trump said talks on Iran were taking place today in Qatar, with his envoy Steve Witkoff heading to the capital Doha, according to two US officials.
However, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghai said no talks with the US at any level were planned in the coming days, although an Iranian expert delegation would travel to Doha later this week.
Baghaei said Iran and the US have not yet entered the negotiation stage for a final agreement.
The inconsistency in messaging raises further doubts that negotiators will be able to meet the 60-day deadline after both sides exchanged attacks over the weekend that worsened an already fragile ceasefire.
Here’s what we’re looking at:
In Iran: Baghaei said that according to paragraph 13 of the US-Iran memorandum, negotiations on a final agreement can begin only after the implementation of paragraphs 1, 4, 5, 10 and 11. He said that the US has issued licenses related to paragraph 10, which relates to oil sales, and that Iran is monitoring their implementation. He also said that work is also underway to implement clause 11 regarding frozen assets. In this context, a delegation of experts 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 would honor its commitments if the United States did the same, warning that Tehran would respond harshly to the threats. He also said half of Iran’s $12 billion in frozen assets held in Qatar would be returned to Tehran – an issue on which the US has made conflicting statements.
In the USA: White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt told Fox News that there will be high-level talks, but technical talks will take place on the sidelines. “Special Envoy (Steve) Witkoff and (Trump’s son-in-law) Jared Kushner will fly to Doha this week for high-level meetings,” she said.
In Israel: Defense Secretary Israel Katz said Trump insisted on linking the wars in Lebanon and Iran during ceasefire talks, despite his country’s desire to treat them as separate conflicts. He said Israel received US support to remain in Lebanon until Hezbollah was disarmed throughout the country.
In the Strait of Hormuz: Mine clearance will be carried out exclusively by Iran, Iran’s deputy foreign minister said, refuting remarks by President Emmanuel Macron that France, Oman and others would cooperate. More than two dozen commercial vessels passed through the narrow passage in 24 hours, a fraction of pre-war levels, according to MarineTraffic.
In Lebanon: Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, considered a key Hezbollah ally, criticized the US-brokered deal between Israel and his country, saying it “will not be implemented.” Conflict between Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israeli forces in southern Lebanon continued over the weekend, days after the countries signed a new truce.
CNN’s Ellis Kim, Mohammed Tawfik, Eileen Graef, Dalia Abdelwahab and Casey Gannon contributed to this report.