Qatar has confirmed that US President Donald Trump’s special envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, are currently in Doha. However, they are not scheduled to hold direct meetings with Iranian officials. Instead, the US delegation will engage with mediators to discuss the progress of implementing the recently signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the US and Iran.
According to Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari, the 6 billion US dollars in frozen Iranian assets have not yet been transferred to Tehran. This statement was made during the weekly press briefing, as reported by Xinhua news agency. The US and Iran have conflicting accounts regarding the nature of the discussions in Doha, with the US viewing them as part of the MoU implementation process, while Iran denies any direct negotiations with US officials.
Amidst these developments, a senior Iranian diplomat clarified that technical talks between Iran and the US working groups were not scheduled for the week. Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs, Kazem Gharibabadi, dismissed media reports suggesting technical talks in Doha on Tuesday. He emphasized ongoing consultations with Qatar on relevant issues, particularly regarding the US’s fulfillment of obligations under the peace MoU.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian announced that frozen Iranian assets amounting to 6 billion US dollars, held in Qatar, will be released and repatriated. This decision was disclosed during a meeting in the central province of Qom, where Pezeshkian highlighted the achievements of the peace MoU between Iran and the US. Notably, he mentioned that Iran’s frozen assets in Qatar total 12 billion US dollars, with efforts underway to secure the return of the remaining funds to Iran. Pezeshkian hailed the MoU as a significant victory for the Iranian people, citing the lifting of sanctions on Iran’s petrochemical and oil exports as part of the agreement.
