Hormuz, de-escalation channels, frozen funds: What happened at Iran-US talks in Doha

According to Qatar’s foreign ministry, American and Iranian negotiators held separate meetings with Qatari and Pakistani mediators.

What were discussed in the talks?

US Vice President JD Vance said the meeting discussed the Strait of Hormuz, while Al Jazeera sources said Iran’s nuclear programme, its frozen funds, and the attacks in Lebanon were also on the table. According to The Times of Israel, the US negotiators were reportedly trying to convince their Iranian counterparts to forgo plans of charging tolls in the Strait of Hormuz. They reasoned that Tehran could make more money through nuclear concessions than it could generate from such fees.

Both sides also decided to create a “communication channel” to resolve disputes between them as they discussed the US’s “violations of obligations” in one of the two meetings held in Doha, said Gharibadi. He said the “communication channel” will be established to report breaches of the agreement signed between the US and Iran two weeks ago to end the conflict.

The other meeting addressed the release of $6bn in frozen Iranian funds.

“During the meetings with Qatari officials, including the Central Bank, a number of issues related to the expenditure of part of the initial $6bn were reviewed… It was agreed that, based on the needs communicated by our country, the required goods would be purchased and made available to Iran,” Al Jazeera quoted Gharibadi as saying.

However, neither side confirmed if they had managed to resolve their differences.

What was not discussed in the meeting?

Though on the agenda, the nuclear programme did not feature in the talks, Reuters reported, citing sources. Vance said it would be taken up on a later date. “Obviously, we’re worried about the nuclear issue, we’re going to start talking about that,” Al Jazeera quoted him as saying.

When will the next round of talks be held?

The negotiators agreed to continue the discussions in the coming days and hold the next meeting at the earliest possible time after the funeral processions of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The Supreme Leader was killed on February 28 — the day Israel and the US jointly attacked Iran, starting off the war that went on for over three months.

What Trump said after the talks concluded

Meanwhile, Trump said the two countries were progressing on possible limits ⁠to Tehran’s nuclear programme. “The denuclearization of Iran is moving along well,” Reuters quoted him as saying. “They’ve had very good meetings, and we’ll see,” Trump added.