The United States protects all Arab countries of the Persian Gulf and expects to be reimbursed for ensuring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. President Donald Trump said.
Hostilities between the US and Iran escalated further on Sunday night with a third mutual missile strike, as the US military reported hitting 140 Iranian targets and three Gulf nations said they had repelled missiles and drones from Iran.
Washington is not yet ready to continue dialogue with Tehran and intends to limit its interactions to Omani and Qatari mediators
Qatari negotiators are in Iran, where they are holding meetings with Iranian officials aimed at easing tensions between Tehran and Washington, Reuters reported, citing a source.
Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Iranian Deputy Ambassador Mohsen Mohammad Qanei to hand him a note of protest in connection with the latest attack on Qatar’s Al-Rekayyat LNG tanker in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran and Qatar have resumed their maritime trade following a roughly five-month suspension, Iran’s commercial attaché in Doha Abbas Abdolkhani said on Sunday.
Qatar said on Sunday that maritime activities would resume with immediate effect, according to the Qatari Transport Ministry statement posted on X.
The next round of talks between representatives of Tehran and Washington will begin on July 18, Al Hadath TV reported.
Mediators from Qatar and Pakistan completed separate meetings with negotiators from the U.S. and Iran in Doha on Wednesday, positive progress has been achieved during the consultations, Qatari Foreign Ministry Spokesman Majed bin Mohammed al-Ansari said.
Iran-US talks in Doha were held exclusively in a trilateral format, Kazem Gharibabadi, Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs of Iran said.
Iranian assets frozen in Qatar have not yet been unblocked and returned to Tehran, the New York Post (NYP) reported, citing a U.S. administration official.
U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and U.S. leader Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner will discuss the Iran nuclear deal with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Doha on Tuesday, Axios reported, citing White House sources.
A delegation comprising Iranian experts will visit Qatar this week to discuss implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding signed with the U.S. earlier this month, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said.
According to US President Donald Trump, Iran has requested a meeting in Doha for tomorrow.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, who is part of the country’s negotiating team for the implementation of the memorandum with the US, has denied reports that technical consultations with Washington were set to begin in Doha this week.
Representatives of the United States and Iran reached an agreement to halt strikes and hold consultations in Doha on June 30, Axios journalist Barak Ravid said.
Iran and Qatar have agreed to unblock $6 bln out of a total of $12 bln in Iranian assets held in the emirate, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said.
Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said the Gulf state would resume normal liquefied natural gas production “within a few weeks”, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday.
Iran’s deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi has announced the successful conclusion of four-country technical talks and the finalization of arrangements for the next phase of high-level negotiations.
At least 54 people were injured and another 18 remain missing following an explosion at a gas processing plant in the Ras Laffan industrial area northeast of Doha, Qatar’s Interior Ministry said.
