US-Iran talks to focus on de-escalation, Hormuz
Iranian and US technical teams working on the implementation of an interim peace agreement are expected to meet in Doha in the coming days, a source told Reuters.
The source with knowledge of the discussions added that mediators have established communication channels to reduce any incidents and technical talks will continue.
A senior Iranian source said a meeting will be held in Doha on Tuesday, but unlike previous technical talks between Tehran and Washington in Switzerland, the focus will be on managing the Strait of Hormuz and reducing tensions.
US President Donald Trump confirmed in his social media post that a meeting would be held in Doha on Tuesday, but did not provide details.
The United States and Iran signed a 14-article memorandum of understanding on June 17 aimed at ending the four-month-long conflict. According to this memorandum, both sides agreed to cease hostilities and reopen the strait, through which one fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas passes.
The closure of the waterway has caused oil prices to rise above US$100 ($A145) per barrel, pushing up global inflation and causing a political headache ahead of the midterm elections for Trump, who declared oil and gas prices were falling in a series of other early morning posts on Monday.
The agreement paves the way for 60 days of more in-depth talks on thorny issues such as Iran’s nuclear program, but both sides have given conflicting statements about what was agreed upon.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Monday that half of assets worth US$12 billion ($17 billion) frozen in Qatar would be released and returned to Iran following the deal, Iranian state media reported.
He described the agreement, which includes exemptions from sanctions on Iran’s oil and petrochemical sectors, as “a great victory for the Iranian people.”
The senior Iranian source said Doha and Tehran were in the final stages of agreeing on technical details for the release of an initial US$6 billion ($8.7 billion) of frozen assets, which he said would be exported in two tranches.
Oil prices rose on Monday and Brent crude futures rose nearly one percent after weekend tensions highlighted the fragility of the U.S.-Iran deal.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News on Monday that U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will fly to Doha this week for high-level meetings as well as technical talks.
“From our perspective, we are maintaining our part of the ceasefire. Violence will be met with violence,” Leavitt said. he added.
However, according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Garibabadi said on Monday before Trump’s post that technical working group meetings were not planned for this week, an indication of uncertainty about the interim agreement.
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday he was working with Oman to reduce tensions in the Middle East and would cooperate with partners on demining the Strait of Hormuz.
After meeting Omani Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said at the Elysee Palace, Macron wrote on
The return to talks would follow days of attacks and counter-attacks, with both the United States and Iran accusing the other of violating a temporary ceasefire after an Iranian missile hit a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday.
Trying to exercise its authority regarding shipping in the Bosphorus, Iran launched missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles at US military facilities in Kuwait and Bahrain early on Sunday.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the US strikes violated the ceasefire and that American bases in the region “will experience hell in the coming days.”
