DOHA: Qatari and Pakistani mediators have reported “positive progress” following separate meetings with United States and Iranian negotiators in Doha, according to statements issued on Thursday.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office (FO) said the discussions focused on matters linked to the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), building on negotiations previously held in Switzerland earlier this month.
“Parties have agreed to continue discussions over the coming period, with the next meeting to be set at the earliest possible time following the funeral processions of the former Iranian supreme leader,” the FO said in a post on X.
An identical statement was earlier released by Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson.
Former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was assassinated on the opening day of the US-Israel conflict with Iran, is scheduled to be buried on July 9.
Sources familiar with the negotiations said delegates from both countries spent two days in Doha discussing maritime navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and the release of Iran’s frozen assets, both of which are key components of the initial agreement.
Speaking in Washington, US President Donald Trump said negotiations were progressing on possible restrictions to Iran’s nuclear programme, which he described as the primary reason behind launching the conflict with Israel in February.
“The denuclearisation of Iran is moving along well,” Trump told reporters. “They’ve had very good meetings, and we’ll see.”
However, sources involved in the discussions said the nuclear issue was not part of the Doha talks, which focused on technical matters.
US Vice President JD Vance indicated that nuclear negotiations would take place at a later stage.
“Obviously, we’re worried about the nuclear issue, we’re going to start talking about that,” he said.
Meanwhile, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said participants agreed that “a communication channel would be established by tomorrow” to monitor and document any violations of the MoU, according to Iran’s state news agency IRNA.
Gharibabadi also said Tehran would use a portion of its frozen funds held in Qatar to purchase urgently needed goods following the Doha discussions.
“During the meetings with Qatari officials, including the Central Bank, a number of issues related to the expenditure of part of the initial six billion dollars were reviewed,” he added.
The US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding, brokered by Pakistan and Qatar, was finalised during a summit in Lucerne, Switzerland, last month. The agreement includes a 60-day ceasefire, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to maritime traffic, and a roadmap for negotiations aimed at reaching a permanent settlement to the conflict, including an agreement on Iran’s nuclear programme.
