Doha says American officials will hold consultations with mediators, not Iranian representatives….reports Asian Lite News Desk
Qatar on Tuesday confirmed that US President Donald Trump’s special envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, are in Doha but said no direct meetings with Iranian officials are scheduled during their visit.
Speaking at the weekly media briefing, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari said the US delegation would instead hold discussions with mediators to review progress on implementing the recently signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the United States and Iran.
Al-Ansari also said the $6 billion in frozen Iranian assets has not yet been transferred to Tehran.
His remarks come amid differing accounts from Washington and Tehran over the latest diplomatic engagements in Doha. While the United States has described the discussions as part of the implementation process of the peace MoU, Iranian officials have denied that any direct negotiations with US representatives are planned.
On Monday, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs, Kazem Gharibabadi, dismissed media reports suggesting technical talks between Iranian and US working groups would take place in Doha this week.
According to Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency, Gharibabadi, who heads Iran’s delegation in the technical negotiations, said consultations with Qatari officials were continuing on issues related to the implementation of the agreement, including ensuring that the United States fulfils its commitments under the MoU.
Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Monday that $6 billion in frozen Iranian assets currently held in Qatar would be released and returned to Iran, according to the official IRNA news agency.
Speaking during a meeting with a senior cleric in the central province of Qom, Pezeshkian said the total value of Iran’s frozen assets in Qatar stood at $12 billion and that efforts were underway to secure the return of the remaining funds.
Describing the recently signed peace MoU as “a great victory” for the Iranian people, Pezeshkian also said the agreement had led to the lifting of sanctions on Iran’s petrochemical and oil exports under its framework.
The latest developments highlight ongoing diplomatic efforts following the signing of the US-Iran peace MoU, even as both sides continue to present differing narratives on the nature of their engagement in Doha.
