Indirect US-Iran Talks Begin in Doha to End War

Indirect talks between the United States and Iran began in Doha on Wednesday, a diplomat told AFP. The discussions aim to end the war and are built on a memorandum of understanding and progress achieved at the Lake Lucerne summit in Switzerland, which both sides endorsed in June.

US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are not participating in the technical talks. The memorandum, brokered by Qatar and Pakistan, stipulates a 60-day ceasefire in the war that started on February 28 with US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran. It also includes the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and a timeline for a final agreement to end the war and limit Iran's nuclear program.

Iranian officials were scheduled to travel to Doha on Wednesday, but Tehran denied US President Donald Trump's earlier claim that direct talks would take place. Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson confirmed that the Iranian delegation will be led by Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, but stressed that officials "have no plans to hold talks with the US side at any level in the coming days."

On Tuesday, Witkoff and Kushner met with Qatar's prime minister. The trio discussed the ongoing US-Iran talks within the framework of the memorandum, as well as developments in Lebanon, according to Qatar's official statement.