US envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner will be in Doha today to meet Qatari mediators to discuss US-Iran negotiations, but there will not be a high-level meeting between Washington and Tehran, Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson says. “Mr. Steve Witfoff and Mr. Jared Kushner are here in Doha to meet with mediators, with Qatari officials, and the talks will be around all regional issues… including, of course, negotiations with Iran, but also including Lebanon,” foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari says. “They are not here for their negotiations with the Iranians,” he adds.
US President Donald Trump said yesterday that his country’s next meeting with Iran would take place in Qatar today, amid conflicting reports as to whether American and Iranian negotiators would meet in the coming days to continue talks toward a final accord. “Iran has requested a meeting. It will take place tomorrow in Doha!” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. By contrast, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said yesterday that no talks were scheduled between the two sides. “We will not have any negotiation meetings at any level with the American side in the coming days,” Baghaei said. Iran, he said, is sending a technical delegation to Qatar this week but this has “no relation” to the Americans’ visit.
A senior Iranian official said a meeting in Doha would be limited to discussions on managing the Strait of Hormuz and reducing tension. The standoff follows exchanges of fire over the weekend that tested the June 17 interim accord between the United States and Iran. The 14-point pact allowed 60 days for the two sides to negotiate a permanent truce in the conflict that began with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28 and to resolve thorny issues including the future of Iran’s nuclear programme. (Ed note: So there are meetings in Doha with Iran, but there is no meeting in Doha with Iran today? Did the "Deal Maker" just get played again?) (Source)
