US envoys in Doha for indirect talks with Iranian technical delegation

Al Jazeera:

US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff have arrived in Doha for talks on the Iran-US ceasefire, but no meetings with Iranian officials have been scheduled, Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said.

The US envoys will meet mediators in the Qatari capital to discuss the implementation of the ceasefire and will not meet Iranian diplomats for direct discussions while in Qatar’s capital, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed bin Mohammed al-Ansari said, after Tehran denied US President Donald Trump’s claim that Iran had requested a meeting.

Iran said it would send a technical delegation, focused on implementation of an existing memorandum of understanding (MOU), including disputes over shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and the release of $6bn in frozen Iranian assets.

The Iranian delegation has “a lot of objections, criticisms and concerns” about the pace of the MOU’s implementation, including Article 1, which covers the ceasefire in south Lebanon, Al Jazeera’s Mohammed Vall reported from Tehran.

Esmaeil Baghaei, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, reiterated Tehran’s stance on the war in Lebanon when addressing the media on Monday.

“America must adhere to its commitments and, if necessary, force the Zionist regime to implement its commitments,” Baghaei said.

“Our criterion for measuring America’s adherence to its commitments is the text of the MOU.”

Article 5 of the MOU is also a sticking point, Vall said, adding that “while Iran does see that this article gives it the authority to organise traffic in the Strait of Hormuz for the 60 days of negotiations before reaching a final deal, the Americans seem to believe that Iran has to just step aside and let the traffic flow freely”.

Iran also has concerns about the opening of new routes through the Strait of Hormuz near the Omani side of the waterway, Vall said, referring to a route proposed by Oman and the International Maritime Organization. Iran believes this was done without Iran’s coordination, which it considers a violation of Article 5 of the MOU, Vall said.