Qatar Announces "Positive Progress" in Talks Between America and Iran

SadaNews - The spokesperson for the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Majid Al-Ansari, announced the conclusion of separate meetings held by Qatari and Pakistani mediators in Doha with American and Iranian negotiators.

Al-Ansari said in a post on his "X" account: "Today, the Qatari and Pakistani mediators concluded separate meetings in Doha with the American and Iranian negotiators, during which positive progress was made regarding the issues related to the memorandum of understanding signed in Islamabad, based on the outcomes of the Lucerne Lake summit."

He added: "The parties agreed to continue discussions in the upcoming period, with a meeting to be scheduled as soon as possible after the conclusion of the mourning ceremonies for the former Iranian leader."

Indirect technical talks began in Doha on Wednesday between American and Iranian officials through intermediaries, as part of diplomatic efforts to ease tensions following mutual strikes between the two parties.

Washington and Tehran have been engaged in negotiations since mid-June, set to last 60 days with the possibility of renewal, under the memorandum of understanding brokered by Pakistan and Qatar, aiming to end the war that erupted in the Middle East following an American-Israeli attack on Iran on February 28.

After they exchanged strikes over the control of the Strait of Hormuz, the United States and Iran announced on Tuesday that they would send officials to Qatar to hold meetings as part of implementing the terms of the memorandum of understanding.

The memorandum included several provisions, the most notable of which are a cessation of hostilities on all fronts, reopening the Strait of Hormuz, lifting the American blockade on Iranian ports, releasing part of Tehran's frozen assets, and conducting negotiations aimed at reaching a final agreement within a renewable 60-day period.

Axios reported that an American official stated: "We reached an understanding in Doha to keep things calm over the next week to allow progress to be made on all aspects of the memorandum of understanding."

Additionally, President Donald Trump praised the progress made in the negotiations on Wednesday, noting that there had been "very good meetings" between the two sides.

Trump explained that "based on how things are going, the denuclearization of Iran is proceeding well. They have had very good meetings, and we will see what happens," adding, "We hit them very hard... but we are getting along very well."