Iran and the U.S. are at odds over planned talks in Doha, with Tehran denying any meeting is scheduled despite Washington preparing to send senior envoys. The disagreement comes amid renewed missile attacks and rising tensions that are testing a fragile ceasefire.
U.S. President Donald Trump is sending his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and his envoy, Steve Witkoff, to lead the negotiating team, according to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
While Iran is sending a technical delegation to Qatar this week, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said this had "no relation" to the Americans' visit and that no talks between the two sides were scheduled.
"We will not have any negotiation meetings at any level with the American side in the coming days," Baghaei said.
On Tuesday, he added that dialogue with mediator Qatar on the implementation of the interim deal with the U.S., including the release of frozen assets, will likely take place on Wednesday in Doha.
The U.S. and Iran gave themselves at least 60 days to implement the 14-point memorandum of understanding to extend an April ceasefire, discuss Iran's nuclear programme and negotiate a permanent truce. However, progress has been slow, with each side accusing the other of violating the agreed terms.
After the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on 28 February, maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz - the narrow chokepoint that previously carried about a fifth of the global oil trade - came to a virtual standstill.
Israel has not joined the U.S.-Iran peace talks and has distanced itself from the agreement. Tensions between Washington and Tehran have also complicated efforts to end fighting in Lebanon, where Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, an ally of Iran-backed Hezbollah, has cast doubt on a separate U.S.-brokered agreement between Lebanon and Israel aimed at halting the conflict.
A senior Iranian official said there would be a meeting in Doha on Tuesday, but unlike previous technical talks between Iranian and U.S. teams in Switzerland, the focus would be on managing the Strait of Hormuz and de-escalating tensions.
Trump told reporters in the Oval Office: "the meeting in Doha is going to be perhaps important, perhaps not. We're going to find out."
At the same time, he maintained that "we're winning militarily" and repeated his condition that Iran must be prevented from producing a nuclear weapon.
Iran has sought leverage by asserting its control over the strait it shares with neighbouring Oman, saying it plans to charge fees to ships using the waterway while obstructing vessels that stray outside designated shipping lanes.
The U.S. has accused Iran of striking at least two commercial ships with missiles or drones in recent days and has bombed Iranian military facilities in response. Iran, in turn, launched missiles and drones at U.S. military sites in Kuwait and Bahrain early on Sunday.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Monday that $6 billion of the $12 billion in Iranian assets frozen in Qatar would be released and returned to Iran, according to Iranian state media.
He described the memorandum, which includes U.S. sanctions waivers for Iran's oil and petrochemical sectors, as "a great victory for the Iranian people."
Oil prices rose by more than 1% after the weekend's hostilities highlighted the fragility of the U.S.-Iran agreement.
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday that he was working with Oman to de-escalate tensions and would cooperate with partners to clear mines from the Strait of Hormuz.
However, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharībābādī responded in a post on X that mine clearance would be carried out solely by Iran under the 14-point plan. He also warned France against complicating the situation.
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The United States launched a seventh consecutive night of strikes on Iran as Tehran targeted U.S. allies in the Gulf, while tensions remain high in the Strait of Hormuz.
The U.S. military said it completed a sixth consecutive night of strikes on Iran late on Thursday, targeting logistics infrastructure and maritime capabilities. Iran responded by launching strikes at U.S. bases in neighbouring countries.
The U.S. military announced that it has completed a new wave of strikes against Iranian military targets under U.S. President Donald Trump's orders. The operation targeted command centres, air defence systems, missile and drone facilities, and coastal surveillance sites across multiple locations.
The U.S. has launched fresh strikes on Iran after Tehran targeted a container ship and said it had again closed the Strait of Hormuz. Iran also claimed to have expanded attacks on U.S. military facilities across the Gulf.
Iran's Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has promised to avenge the killing of his father, while U.S. President Donald Trump said Tehran and Washington had agreed to continue talks despite an escalation of hostilities this week.
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