Trump Sends Witkoff and Kushner to Doha as Iran Discusses Strait of Hormuz Talks

The United States and Iran sent delegations to Doha, Qatar, to discuss negotiations after Tehran and Washington agreed to a memorandum of understanding this month to halt the war in the Middle East, with Qatar saying no high-level meetings or direct talks between the US and Iran were planned in Doha.

“The memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed between the United States and Iran has halted more than three months of direct warfare”

Al Jazeera

TRT World reported that US President Donald Trump wrote, "I will take place tomorrow in Doha!" and that his spokesperson told Fox News that US envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner would be flying to Doha for high-level meetings this week.

Al Jazeera

Qatar foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al Ansari confirmed Witkoff and Kushner were in Doha but said, "They are not here for their negotiations with the Iranians," adding the talks would be around all regional issues including negotiations with Iran and Lebanon.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said on Monday that a delegation of experts would only travel to Doha "later this week" for discussions on the deal, not for direct US talks.

The immediate negotiation focus included Iran's chokehold on the strategic Strait of Hormuz, with traffic in the strait dropping after a vessel was struck while transiting the waterway on Saturday.

After days of tit-for-tat hostilities, the US and Iran agreed to "stand down" following an exchange of strikes over the past few days, with a US official telling the BBC's US partner CBS News that vessels would be able to move through the Gulf waterway "freely".

The BBC said strikes resumed on Thursday after an Iranian projectile hit a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz, and over the weekend the US retaliated with strikes on Iran that US Central Command called a direct response to the "continued aggression" against commercial shipping.

BBC

In the same BBC account, Deputy Iranian Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi denied that there were plans for technical talks this week, while President Donald Trump said a meeting would be held in Qatar's capital at Iran's request and wrote, "IRAN HAS REQUESTED A MEETING. IT WILL TAKE PLACE TOMORROW IN DOHA!"

CBS News reported that Iran threatened a "complete halt" could come to negotiations to end the war if Washington continues its attacks, and it said Iran launched drone and missile attacks targeting Bahrain and Kuwait in response to US airstrikes.

CBS News also quoted Iran's top diplomat Abbas Araghchi warning that any attempt to bypass the Strait of Hormuz routes agreed with the United States would "increase tensions" in the Middle East, as the countries traded attacks and accusations of violating a fragile truce.

As negotiations were set to proceed, the dispute over frozen Iranian funds remained central, with TRT World saying Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Monday that $6 billion was to be released back to the country out of $12 billion.

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Britannica

TRT World also reported that Baqaei said on Tuesday that talks would be held with the Qatari side "probably tomorrow" on the "provision concerning the release of Iran's restricted assets," tying the funds to the negotiation track.

In parallel, CBS News described how Israel renewed its strikes on Lebanon on Sunday despite a framework agreement aimed at paving the way to a lasting peace, and it said Tehran says hostilities in Lebanon must stop for a wider ceasefire deal to stick.

٢٦ سبتمبر نت reported that Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf announced Tehran was pursuing, with mediators Qatar and Pakistan, the implementation of Clause 13 of the memorandum of understanding, and said a joint committee comprising Iran, the United States, and Lebanon would be formed to monitor ending the war.

Ghalibaf said Iran would not begin negotiations on the final agreement with the United States before implementing Clauses 1, 4, 5, 10, and 11 of the memorandum of understanding, while he also described the US attacks as a violation of the memorandum of understanding signed with Washington.