US-Iranian negotiations: what is the latest news? | US-Israeli war against Iran

Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani met with US envoy Steve Witkoff and US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner in Doha, as attempts are made to restart direct negotiations between Tehran and Washington.

The United States and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding on June 17, extending their ceasefire by 60 days, during which they agreed to pursue more detailed negotiations over their differences – with the future of the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s frozen assets, long-term sanctions relief and Tehran’s nuclear program among the issues on the table.

But the two weeks that followed saw new tensions rise between the United States and Iran over the passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, American bombing of Iran, Iranian attacks on American military assets in Kuwait and Bahrain, and continued Israeli assaults in Lebanon.

And if Washington announced that it would conduct direct negotiations with Tehran in Doha, the latter denied it.

Here is the latest news on the negotiations:

What are American officials saying?

US Vice President JD Vance told Fox News that the Trump administration was in a “great position” regardless of how the negotiations played out.

The United States “obviously” wants the negotiations to succeed, Vance said, but added that his country was “still in a much stronger position” than Iran, even if they failed. He insisted that Tehran’s nuclear program and military had been “destroyed” and warned that Trump had made clear that any Iranian attack on ships in the Strait of Hormuz would result in a US military response.

Vance again said Iran would be “permanently transformed” if negotiations aimed at securing a lasting settlement were successful.

The US vice president also said that technical negotiations with Iran were underway on specific points included in the memorandum of understanding.

Separately, the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump, when recently presented with a range of options for restarting the war against Iran, told his advisers that he preferred to give diplomacy a chance and was willing to extend the truce by 60 days if necessary for discussions over Iran’s nuclear program.

What did Iran say?

Tehran has denied holding direct negotiations with the United States in Doha, and many Iranian leaders are not present.

Instead, Iran said it would hold indirect negotiations on the US-Iran deal with mediator Qatar to discuss the implementation of the memorandum of understanding with the United States and the release of frozen Iranian assets. This week, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran expected the United States to release $6 billion of frozen Iranian funds as a first step.

On Wednesday, Iranian negotiators are expected to travel to Doha for discussions with Qatari officials on these funds and other elements of the memorandum of understanding, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Tuesday.

At the same time, Vance called Iran’s refusal to recognize direct technical talks a “Persian negotiating tactic.”

“There were scheduled discussions, really technical discussions, building on the negotiations that we’ve already had. They will definitely take place tomorrow,” Vance said during an interview on The Michael Knowles Show podcast released Tuesday.

He said he found Tehran’s public statements “fascinating and frustrating,” noting that Iranian officials deny peace talks while acknowledging technical discussions.

“They’ll say, ‘No, no, there are no peace talks going on, but there are technical talks between the United States and Iran about the peace deal,'” Vance said. “It’s a Persian negotiating tactic and a Persian rhetorical device that I don’t understand.”

Why is Iran hesitant to resume direct negotiations with the United States?

Alex Vatanka, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, said growing skepticism among Iranian leaders over the memorandum of understanding could explain Tehran’s reluctance to engage in direct, high-level negotiations with Washington at this time.

“Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve seen more reluctance within the Iranian regime. People were saying, ‘This MOU looks impressive on paper, but where’s the action?'” he told Al Jazeera.

“Where are the frozen assets that are supposed to be released? Where is Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz? Why is Israel still in Lebanon?”

Vatanka said time is running out to implement the roadmap outlined in the document signed on June 17.

“So it is not surprising that senior officials like Araghchi or Ghalibaf are reluctant to show up in Doha and stand in front of the cameras because at home it might just be a handicap for them,” he said, referring to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Consultative Assembly President Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.

What is the significance of these negotiations?

Scott Uehlinger, a US national security expert, said Washington was using indirect technical negotiations with Iran in Doha to manage tensions around the Strait of Hormuz, despite the lack of direct negotiations.

“I think the main goal of the American negotiators is to try to use the technical negotiations already scheduled to avoid certain difficulties that will clearly arise in the future,” Uehlinger told Al Jazeera.

The former CIA officer said these difficulties centered on Iran’s “diplomatic strategy” to control the Strait of Hormuz. “The United States is trying to clarify what Iran’s real role in the strait is, according to the memorandum of understanding, and other details that could perhaps be included in a future agreement,” Uehlinger added.

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