President Donald Trump has announced that the US-Iran talks will take place in Doha, Qatar on Tuesday, hinting at the possibility of putting the fragile peace on the back track.
On Truth Social Post, Trump posted, “IRAN HAS REQUESTED A MEETING. IT WILL TAKE PLACE TOMORROW IN DOHA!”
No immediate reaction has been reported from Iran. According to the Associated Press, Iranian officials have declined the possibility of such talks in Doha.
According to Trump’s press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, Witkof and Kushner would attend the Doha talks.
“Special Envoy Witkoff and Jared Kushner will be flying to Doha for high-level meetings this week, as we continue to discuss the memorandum of understanding. On the sidelines of those high-level talks, will be the technical talks,” she said while speaking to Fox News.
“As far as we’re concerned, we’re holding up our end of the ceasefire. Violence will be met with violence,” Leavitt added.
However, according to a source privy to the matter and reported by NBC News, technical teams are set to meet in Doha in the coming days to pursue the implementation of the initial agreement between the two sides.
Despite a series of retaliatory strikes over the weekend that threatened to derail efforts toward a permanent ceasefire, communication channels remain open to de-escalate tensions, and technical negotiations are continuing as planned, as reported by sources.
Earlier on Monday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian announced the release of $6 billion frozen assets released by Qatar as a part of an interim peace deal, calling it “ a great victory for the Iranian people.”
“Based on the plans made, $6 billion out of the total $12 billion of Iranian resources in Qatar will be released and returned to the country, and necessary follow-ups are being carried out,” he said
At the heart of the recent dispute between the US and Iran lies the administration of Strait of Hormuz. Iran is asserting its full control over the Hormuz for the next 30 days but the US is not willing to hand over the full control to Tehran.
Uncertainty is surrounding the resumption of US-Iran peace talks as Pakistan, key mediator, claimed that the talks would resume on Tuesday.
On the contrary, Kazem Gharibabadi, a senior negotiator for Iran, denied any talks had been scheduled.
“Although consultations with Qatar, including on following up on the implementation of the other side’s commitments, are continuing as usual, reports by some media about technical talks by the working groups being held in Doha are not confirmed,” he said.
