Qatar says no direct US-Iran talks scheduled in Doha

Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were in Doha on Tuesday to meet Qatari mediators, not Iranian officials, underscoring how limited US-Iran contact remained even as backchannel diplomacy continued. Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesman, Majed Al Ansari, said no high-level meeting between Washington and Tehran was scheduled in Doha in the coming days.

Al Ansari said the discussions in Qatar would instead cover regional issues, including negotiations with Iran, Lebanon and other files in the region. He also said Qatar had not transferred $6 billion in Iranian frozen funds to Tehran, pushing back on speculation that a financial step had already been taken.

Iran’s foreign ministry described a different but still indirect format. Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Iranian officials would meet Qatari mediators in Doha, not the US side, to discuss implementation of the US-Iran memorandum of understanding and the release of frozen assets. The two governments remained separated by intermediaries rather than sitting down across the table.

The Doha meetings came as efforts continued to secure an interim understanding between Washington and Tehran after the recent conflict. Qatar and Oman have been used as intermediaries, and Doha has been coordinating with Oman on the safe passage of vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the region’s most sensitive waterways. The talks were unfolding against the broader push to bring a lasting halt to the Iran war and reduce the risk of disruption in the strait.

For now, the shape of the diplomacy in Doha said as much as the substance. The key players were in the same city, but not the same room, and the talks that followed were set to remain technical, indirect and tightly managed as Qatar balanced its role between Washington, Tehran and other regional flashpoints.