US envoys arrive in Qatar for meetings on Iran, with tensions high over
Hormuz
[July 01, 2026]
By JON GAMBRELL
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Two U.S. envoys arrived in Qatar on
Tuesday for talks with mediators about the implementation of an initial
deal to end the war in Iran, an official said.
The visit by Steve Witkoff, U.S. President Donald Trump’s special
Mideast envoy, and Jared Kushner, his son-in-law, comes after a weekend
of crossfire in the Persian Gulf over efforts to reopen the Strait of
Hormuz to shipping traffic.
The envoys won’t be having direct negotiations with Iranian diplomats
while in Qatar’s capital, Doha, said Majed al-Ansari, a spokesman for
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry. Instead, mediators are working for the time
being as go-betweens for the talks, which won’t include any high-level
officials, he added.
The U.S. and Iran have held indirect negotiations before. However, the
two previous rounds collapsed and preceded the 12-day war Israel
launched against Iran in 2025 and this year's war, launched jointly by
the U.S. and Iran on Feb. 28.
Iran is 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.
It is possible the two sides could exchange messages through the Qatari
mediators.
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.
[to top of second column]
|
Steve Witkoff, special envoy to the Middle East, listens as
President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte meet in
the Oval Office at the White House, Wednesday, June 24, 2026, in
Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Monday that Qatar plans to
release $6 billion in frozen Iranian assets. A U.S. official,
speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive
negotiations, confirmed the release amount, saying it would be used
to buy U.S. food products for the Iranian people.
A fifth of the world's oil was shipped through the Strait of Hormuz
before the war began. 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.
___
AP reporter Josh Boak in Washington contributed.
All contents © copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved |
