U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed on Monday (29) that a meeting between representatives of the United States of America (U.S.) and Iran will take place in Doha on Wednesday to discuss the “denuclearization” of the Islamic Republic.
“They (Iran) are heading to Qatar; I think they’ve already left or are about to leave. We’ll see how it goes,” Trump said about the meeting in Qatar.
Iran confirmed that it will send a team of experts this week to Qatar for meetings on the implementation of the memorandum of understanding with the U.S., which has been threatened in recent days by attacks from both sides.
“A delegation of experts from the Islamic Republic will depart for Doha later this week,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei at a press conference.
Qatar, along with Pakistan, is mediating negotiations between the two sides in the conflict launched on February 28 by the United States and Israel against Iran.
Trump stated that Iranian officials “requested a meeting” for Tuesday in Doha.
The White House spokesperson explained that Washington’s envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, were on their way to Qatar for “high-level” talks on the memorandum of understanding.
In recent days, tensions between Tehran and Washington have escalated, with Iranian attacks on several ships and U.S. airstrikes targeting military installations on Iran’s southern coast. Tehran subsequently responded with attacks on U.S. bases in Kuwait and Bahrain.
These were the first exchanges of attacks between the two sides since the memorandum of understanding signed by the presidents of the United States and Iran on June 17.
Under the memorandum, the two sides will continue negotiations for a period of 60 days, focusing on the future of the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s nuclear program, as well as the lifting of sanctions against the Islamic Republic and the release of its assets frozen abroad.
The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that it had discussed the future management of the Strait of Hormuz with Oman, a country located on the opposite side of the strait.
“The first meeting of the Joint Committee on the Strait of Hormuz was held in Muscat,” the capital of Oman, to exchange “views on the future management” of the strait, wrote Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi on social media platform X.
In an interview with state television, he later clarified that at the meeting, the two countries reached a “mutual understanding” regarding the management of this maritime route.
According to Gharibabadi, Oman “believes that fees should be charged in exchange for the services provided,” and it was decided to establish “technical committees” that, within a week, “will begin their expert discussions” to finalize “a text and also conduct technical negotiations on the maritime routes.”
Oman, a U.S. ally, has not commented on the issue, regarding which it has maintained ambiguity, with simultaneous contacts with both Washington and Tehran.
Although both countries claim sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), adopted in 1982 but not ratified by Tehran, guarantees the right of “transit passage” through straits used for international navigation, such as the Strait of Hormuz, which is essential for connecting the Persian Gulf to the rest of the world.
