In a significant diplomatic development, two U.S. envoys have landed in Qatar to engage in talks with mediators aiming to facilitate an end to the ongoing conflict with Iran. The negotiations mark a critical effort in navigating the complex geopolitical tensions in the region.
On Tuesday, in Doha, Qatar’s capital, Steve Witkoff, the special Mideast envoy for the United States, and Jared Kushner, who is notably the former President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, arrived for these crucial discussions. Their visit comes on the heels of a tumultuous weekend marked by exchanges in the Persian Gulf over plans to reopen the vital Strait of Hormuz to shipping, a key channel for global energy supplies.
However, U.S. representatives will not engage directly with Iranian diplomats during their stay in Qatar. Majed al-Ansari, a spokesperson for Qatar’s Foreign Ministry, noted that the envoys would not participate in high-level meetings but would instead rely on mediators to carry messages between the two sides. This indirect approach underscores the fragile nature of these peace efforts and reflects past strategies employed in earlier discussions between the two nations.
It’s worth noting that similar indirect negotiations have occurred between the United States and Iran in prior instances. Unfortunately, these initiatives have previously faltered, notably culminating in the 12-day war initiated by Israel against Iran in 2025, as well as sparking the recent hostilities involving Iran.
Such indirect negotiations have happened in the past between Iran and the U.S. However, the two previous rounds of talks collapsed into the 12-day war Israel launched against Iran in 2025 and the recent Iran war.
“We’re not expecting any high-level Iranian officials at the moment, but as I said, the technical meetings are ongoing … and they haven’t stopped since then,” al-Ansari told journalists at a weekly news conference.
Iran was also sending a delegation to Qatar this week. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Tuesday that Iran has had no plans for a meeting with the American side at any level in the coming days.
“What will take place in Doha tomorrow is a discussion with the Qatari side about implementing parts of the memorandum of understanding, including the release of Iran’s blocked assets,” Baghaei told journalists at his own briefing.
However, that left open the possibility of messages being passed to the Qataris between the two sides.
The U.S. and Iran agreed to an interim deal earlier this month that calls for Tehran to dilute its stockpile of enriched uranium. It also waives U.S.-backed oil sanctions on the country, calls for free traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and gives each side 60 days to hammer out broader agreements.
A fifth of the world’s oil was shipped through the Strait of Hormuz before the war began Feb. 28. Iran’s attacks and threats stopped cargo ships and tankers from moving through the strait, creating a global energy crisis.
The strait has long been considered an international waterway despite being in Iran and Oman’s territorial waters.
Both sides traded strikes amid efforts last week to open Oman’s territorial waters in the strait to both inbound and outbound ship traffic from the Persian Gulf. That raised concerns that negotiations to formally end the war could be disrupted.
Iran twice attacked vessels in the strait — including a tanker filled with Qatari crude — and drew retaliatory American airstrikes. Iran also launched drone and missile attacks targeting Bahrain and Kuwait on Sunday.
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