President Donald Trump said Iran requested talks with the United States, with a meeting expected in Qatar after both sides paused military exchanges near the Strait of Hormuz.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
President Donald Trump said the United States and Iran are expected to meet in Doha, Qatar, after several days of military exchanges over attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump announced the planned meeting in a June 29 post on Truth Social, saying Iran had requested renewed talks with Washington.
“Iran has requested a meeting. It will take place tomorrow in Doha!” Trump wrote.
Pakistan, which has served as a mediator between Washington and Tehran, also said negotiations are expected to resume June 30 in Qatar’s capital.
The planned talks follow a weekend escalation in which U.S. and Iranian forces traded strikes after Iran was accused of attacking commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. A U.S. official later said both countries had indicated they would stop additional attacks, raising the possibility that diplomacy could resume under the existing framework.
Iran had not publicly confirmed Trump’s announcement of a June 30 meeting as of the information provided. Tehran did, however, clarify separate reports about technical negotiations linked to the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding signed June 17.
Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs and one of Tehran’s senior negotiators, said reports that technical working-group meetings were scheduled in Doha this week were inaccurate.
“Technical working group meetings were not scheduled for this week,” Gharibabadi told reporters Monday, according to the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency.
His comments referred to technical working groups created under the memorandum of understanding, not necessarily broader diplomatic contacts between the two governments.
Gharibabadi said consultations with Qatar and other mediators were continuing, including discussions about how the United States would implement commitments made under the June 17 memorandum.
“The first round of technical talks within the framework of the designated working groups will be held after the necessary conditions are met and following agreement on the date and venue, and consultations on these matters are continuing through the mediator countries,” he said, according to IRNA.
The statement appeared intended to correct reports about the technical track of the memorandum rather than rule out higher-level diplomatic engagement after the latest military clashes.
Also Monday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Qatar would release $6 billion in frozen Iranian assets as part of the memorandum’s implementation.
Pezeshkian, cited by IRNA, said the funds represent half of roughly $12 billion in Iranian assets currently held in Qatar. He said Tehran is continuing efforts to secure the remaining balance.
The June 17 memorandum created a 60-day negotiating framework covering sanctions relief, shipping arrangements in the Strait of Hormuz and other unresolved issues, including the future of Iran’s nuclear program.
Trump also said Monday that crude oil prices had fallen below levels seen “prior to the start of the Denuclearization of Iran,” referring to the Feb. 28 strikes against Iran that he has said were intended to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Oil prices recently returned to pre-war levels after concerns over the Strait of Hormuz temporarily unsettled markets.
The diplomatic opening comes after the most serious outbreak of fighting between the United States and Iran since the memorandum was signed.
The latest confrontation began when U.S. officials accused Iran of attacking commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway through which roughly one-fifth of globally traded oil normally passes.
The U.S. military responded by striking Iranian military infrastructure near the strait.
The exchanges raised fears that the memorandum could collapse before the two sides completed negotiations on a permanent settlement. Those concerns eased somewhat after both sides signaled they would pause military action.
Major disagreements remain, especially over control of the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said over the weekend that Iran alone is responsible for managing the strait and that outside countries should not interfere in its administration.
The Trump administration has rejected that position, saying Iran cannot impose controls, tolls or other restrictions on passage through an international waterway.
The Doha meeting, if held, would give both sides a chance to return to the negotiating table after the clashes tested the fragile June 17 framework. Whether the talks can preserve the memorandum will depend in large part on whether Washington and Tehran can resolve disputes over shipping access, sanctions, frozen assets and Iran’s nuclear program.
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