US President Donald Trump stated that Iran sought a meeting on Tuesday in Qatar; however, Tehran refuted any intentions of direct conversations with Washington regarding the agreement to resolve the Middle East conflict.
Washington and Tehran have both sent teams to the Gulf state, but they disagree on most other details, including the visit’s timing and purpose.
The nations’ initial accord to cease hostilities and reopen the crucial Strait of Hormuz has consistently faced challenges owing to confrontations, as well as conflicting statements from both parties.
Following Trump’s Truth post on Monday regarding the Doha meeting with Iran, his spokeswoman informed Fox News that US envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner “will be traveling to Doha for high-level meetings this week.
Media outlets claimed early Tuesday that Witkoff was traveling to Qatar.
Nonetheless, Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei stated on Monday that a delegation of national experts would visit Doha this week, while firmly rejecting any meeting with American representatives.
“We have not yet commenced negotiations for a final agreement,” he stated, adding that, “in the forthcoming days, there will be no negotiation meetings with the US at any level.”
Discussions regarding Hormuz
The Iranian assertion of authority over the strategically significant strait has incited multiple confrontations, the most recent occurring early Sunday when the US Central Command reported the targeting of 10 Iranian military installations in response to “ongoing Iranian aggression towards commercial vessels.
Tehran announced that it responded with attacks on US installations in Kuwait and Bahrain.
The blockade continues to be a significant obstacle in the negotiations.
Iran and Oman flank the strait, across which one-fifth of the global oil and liquefied natural gas transited prior to the conflict, and Tehran announced on Monday that they conducted their inaugural discussions since the agreement was established.
“The inaugural meeting of the Joint Hormuz Committee took place during a visit to Muscat,” stated Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi on X.
The strait includes Omani and Iranian territorial seas, but, under international law, neither can often obstruct passage or impose tolls.
On Sunday, Iran cautioned that any efforts by vessels to circumvent its designated passage through Hormuz would “escalate tensions” in the Middle East.
Iran asserts that vessels navigating the strait must traverse a corridor next to its coastline.
The implementation of the memorandum remains ambiguous, with Tehran particularly sensitive on the de-mining issue.
Following a meeting between French President Emmanuel Macron and Omani Sultan Haitham bin Tariq, Paris and Muscat announced their intention to undertake collaborative de-mining operations.
Gharibabadi asserted that the agreement stipulated that only Iran would undertake de-mining operations.
The circumstances are delicate and intricate. Gharibabadi urged France to refrain from exacerbating the situation with its provocations.
Traffic diminished in the strait.
Traffic diminished over the weekend following a vessel collision during its passage through the channel, with 29 commodity vessels navigating on Saturday and 12 on Sunday, as reported by marine tracking firm Kpler.
According to Kpler data, no vessels utilized a southern corridor via Omani seas, although another tracker, AXSMarine, identified that 44 vessels had ceased publicly disclosing their positions.
The released copy of the US-Iran memorandum of understanding, disclosed this month, states that Iran will delineate the future governance of the strait through discussions with Oman and the other Gulf States, but “in accordance with” international law.
The Revolutionary Guards of Iran announced that they are implementing steps to regulate traffic in the strait, asserting that vessels contravening these regulations will face stricter enforcement than previously.
Mohammad Mokhber, advisor to Iran’s supreme leader, stated on X that as long as Iran controls the strait, Washington’s “hegemonic aspirations in the area will remain unfulfilled.
Israel conducts airstrikes.
Lebanese state television said on Monday that an Israeli strike targeted southern Lebanon, the stronghold of the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, despite a framework agreement agreed upon by both nations the previous week intended to facilitate a peace settlement.
In March, Hezbollah engaged Lebanon in the Middle East conflict by launching rockets at Israel, which provoked Israeli airstrikes and a ground invasion.
Under the Washington-mediated agreement, Hezbollah is to be disarmed, with the responsibility for this task resting on the Lebanese army. Israeli officials have stated that their forces will maintain their presence in the south until that time.
The Iran-supported militant organization has vehemently contested the accord.
