The prospects for a long-term peace between the two nations were clouded on Tuesday when Iran declared it would not meet senior US envoys who had traveled to the area after hostilities broke out. Iranian officials added that before addressing more challenging issues, such potential restrictions on its nuclear program, the two sides still need to work out the conditions of a truce they reached two weeks ago. The events showed that the two parties remain far apart on important aspects of the original framework, which establishes 60 days of talks to reach a lasting peace agreement and demands that Iran release its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for financial incentives.
Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, and Steve Witkoff, his envoy, arrived in Doha for what the White House called “high level” discussions. However, Iran and host Qatar stated they would meet the mediators instead of the Iranians. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, the prime minister of Qatar, reportedly met with Witkoff and Kushner.According to Esmaeil Baghaei, a spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, “no meeting at any level with the American side has been scheduled for the coming days.
Majed al-Ansari, a spokesperson for Qatar’s foreign ministry, stated that the two nations were scheduled to start lower-level technical negotiations. Iran claims to be in charge of the Strait of Hormuz, which handled one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas prior to the start of the war on February 28, has seen a limited resumption of shipping. However, Iranian authorities stated that they would impose tolls in mid-August when the 60-day period ended and that they had the right to control traffic alongside U.S. ally Oman, which is located on the opposite side of the vital canal.Iran’s senior negotiator, Mohammed Baqer Qalibaf, stated on state television that Iran and Oman have sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz and that trade in the Strait is subject to agreements made by Iran.
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