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Channel to track MoU breaches
Iran said it would establish a “communication channel” with the United States to report breaches of the memorandum of understanding after indirect technical talks in Qatar, with Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi making the announcement following talks held in Doha on Wednesday.
“Senior Iranian, Qatari diplomats discuss implementation of US-Iran peace MoU in Doha Senior diplomats from Iran and Qatar on Wednesday discussed the implementation of the recently signed US-Iran peace memorandum of understanding (MoU) and challenges facing the process in the Qatari capital of Doha, said the Iranian Foreign Ministry”
Gharibabadi said part of the $6bn in frozen Iranian assets would be used to buy goods Tehran requires, adding that “based on the needs communicated by our country, the required goods would be purchased and made available to Iran.”
The MoU, brokered by Qatar and Pakistan, includes a 60-day ceasefire, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and a timeframe for a final deal to permanently end the war and reach an agreement on Iran’s nuclear programme.
The talks in Doha were also aimed at pushing forward negotiations to quell tensions after recent exchanges of fire, with the US and Iran having gone back and forth over the meaning of the interim MoU.
US Vice President JD Vance said he could not guarantee Washington would not return to combat before next month’s MoU deadline, telling reporters in Virginia Beach, Virginia that “it depends on what the Iranians are ultimately going to do.”
Mediators, working groups, and disputes
In Doha, senior diplomats from Iran and Qatar met to discuss implementing the recently signed U.S.-Iran peace memorandum of understanding, with Iran’s Foreign Ministry saying Kazem Gharibabadi and Qatar’s Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani reviewed ways to expedite implementation.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry statement said working groups had already been established to oversee implementation and prepare for final agreement negotiations, while formal talks had yet to begin as discussions on the date and venue continued through mediators.
Gharibabadi told Iranian state media that participants agreed that “a communication channel would be established by tomorrow” to report and record “violations” of the memorandum of understanding.
The Jerusalem Post reported that JD Vance said the indirect US-Iran talks in Doha are “going well” and will soon progress to discussions on nuclear issues while speaking to American military personnel in Virginia on Wednesday.
The Jerusalem Post also quoted Gharibabadi warning that “the commitments of the MoU are an integrated set and cannot be seen in isolation,” as he cautioned about an alleged US violation tied to the war between Israel and Lebanon.
Shipping, nuclear focus, and next steps
The Doha talks were framed around the Strait of Hormuz and maritime security, with the US priority described by a Reuters source as ensuring the free flow of shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
“Iran says it will establish a “communication channel” with the United States to report breaches of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between them two weeks ago to end the war”
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported that the Strait of Hormuz remained a “warlike operations area,” citing a joint statement from the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) and the Joint Negotiating Group (JNG) that said the designation recognized “the continuing and significant risk to life.”
Vance said in Doha that the US was “worried about the nuclear issue” and that “we’re going to start talking about that,” while also describing technical negotiators sitting down with the Iranians and Qataris.
The Al Jazeera report said the MoU includes a timeframe for a final deal to permanently end the war and reach an agreement on Iran’s nuclear programme, even as tit-for-tat military strikes over the past week had accompanied breaches since the MoU was signed last month.
In parallel, Germany’s Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said there is “no scenario” in the weeks ahead to allow minesweeper operations in the strait, adding that Iran had refused a French mission of the same kind.
