Middle East: US and Iran hold indirect talks in Qatar

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As of this hour, very little information about exactly what is being discussed in Doha has been made public.

Iran's delegation leader in Doha, Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, said Wednesday evening that talks had concluded, Iranian state media reported.

According to the IRNA news agency, Gharibabadi said participants agreed that "a communication channel would be established by tomorrow" to report and record "violations" of the memorandum of understanding. 

Here's what we know:

• A US source with knowledge of the talks told Reuters news agency that the priority of the US is to ensure the free flow of shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz
• The source added there had been 'intensive diplomatic activity' on Lebanon between parties including the US
• An Iranian source told Reuters along with Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, officials from the Foreign Ministry, the Central Bank and Agriculture Ministry met with Qatar's prime minister and held talks with mediators
• The source said Iran's priorities include the release of $6 billion in Iranian frozen assets, and the future management of the Strait of Hormuz
• A diplomat speaking to AFP news agency and an Iranian source cited by Reuters both said US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff were not taking part in the technical talks, but had met Qatar's prime minister to lay the groundwork
• The White House earlier said the pair would be attending 'high-level meetings'

Is US-Iran deal already on the verge of collapse?

Germany is mulling recalling the two vessels sent to the Strait of Hormuz to support the clearing of mines if conditions for their deployment are not met, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said in Berlin on Wednesday. 

"They will not wait forever," Pistorius said at a press conference held alongside Chancellor Friedrich Merz and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. 

According to Pistorius, there is "no scenario" of the conditions being met in the weeks ahead to allow the vessels to start their operation in the strait. He added that Iran had refused a French mission of the same kind.

Among the conditions to allow the vessels' operation is an agreement on a lasting end of the war between Iran and the US, as well as the consent of neighboring states such as Iran and Oman. The German public must also authorize any such operation.

Germany sentthe minesweeper Fulda and the supply ship Mosel to the region in mid-June in preparation for mine clearance operations.

Hours after Pistorius' remarks, Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul  reaffirmed Germany's commitment to the mine clearing operation if the "preconditions" are in place. 

 "Our readiness continues to be there," Wadephul said.

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said US talks with Iranover the terms of last month's MoU were going well.

"The denuclearization of Iran is moving along well," Trump told reporters, saying the meetings in Qatar were "very good."

Despite Trump's claims, there is no evidence thus far that Iran's nuclear program is on the table in discussions Tuesday or Wednesday. 

According to the US leader, the US and Iran are "getting along very well," adding Iran "has come a long way."

"I think they're fine," Trump said about Iran.

US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner are both in Qatar.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the Israeli army would stay in the self-proclaimed "security zones" in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza indefinitely.

According to Katz, this will be "in order to protect our residents and communities from jihadist elements," while also repeating a warning to Iran should it attack Israel over its operations in Lebanon, where the Israeli army still holds large swathes of territory in the country's south.

Israeli forces occupy almost 70% of the Gaza Strip, while also being present in the area in Syria near the country's border with Israel.

The talks between representatives from the US and Iranin Qatarhave focused on the implementation of the MoU signed with the US earlier in June, Iran's deputy foreign ​minister Kazem Gharibabadi told state media.

Gharibabadi, who heads the Iranian delegation in Doha, met with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, as well as participating in a meeting with representatives from Qatar and Pakistan about the deal's implementation.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded to Israeli threats on the life of new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei by threatening to strike Israel.

Araghchi took to his X account to say that US under President Donald Trump had committed to "muzzling its pets in Tel Aviv," adding Iranwill "school" Israel should it ignore the warning.

"The terms of the Islamabad MoU are crystal clear and public for all to see," Araghchi said.

This comes after Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in comments reported by an Israeli news agency that Khamenei was "marked for death," while also implying Israel could take action regardless of the agreement between Iran and the US.

Unions and shipping companies will continue to treat the Strait of Hormuz a "warlike operations area," according to a joint statement by International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) union and the Joint Negotiating Group (JNG), an umbrella organization representing shipping owners.

"This decision recognizes the continuing and significant risk to life and the rapidly evolving situation in the area," the statement reads, with the status staying put until July 9 and being reassessed on a weekly basis.

As a result of the decision, mariners will be entitled to double pay while aboard vessels crossing the Strait of Hormuz, meaning more costs for shipping companies.

The status covers around 15,000 vessels worldwide.

Iranian state media reported that a foreign container ship ran aground after not following Iran's approved route through theStrait of Hormuz.

The report said ships needed to follow instructions set out by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) when transiting the strait.

The vessel was described as a foreign container ship, but no other details were initially provided.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), urgently needs donations.

"They cannot keep going like this without urgent backing and financial support from member states," he said at a donor conference for the aid agency in New York, adding he is "appalled" by attempts to undermine the agency's work.

Guterres said those attempts are being made "through disinformation. Smear campaigns. Legislative actions. Operational restrictions. Diplomatic roadblocks. And more."

Israel alleged at least 12 of UNRWA's 13,000 employees were involved in the Hamas-led October 7 terrorist attack on the country's south, resulting in some countries stopping funding for the agency, most notably in 2024 the US, UNRWA's most important donor.

According to UNRWA, some 5.9 million people are under its mandate, with it also operating in Lebanon, Jordan and other places.

Here's everything we know about the meeting between the US and Iran in Qatar.

The who

On the US side, special envoy Steve Witkoff and US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner are both in Qatar, with the White House saying they will attend "high-level meetings."

However, the Qatari Foreign Ministry said the two were not in Doha for talks with the Iranians. They did meet Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, with the meeting being about the two US representatives "meeting the mediators."

Iran's delegation is headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, the country's foreign ministry said.

The talks between the two countries will be indirect, the AFP news agency reported, citing diplomatic sources.

The what

According to Qatar's Foreign Ministry, the meetings will be about both Iran and Lebanon, with another main issue being the permanent opening of the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian assets and funds frozen due to the US sanctions are also expected to be on the table.

The why

The talks come after the two countries exchanged fire sporadically since the signing on the MoU between them, with Tehran's attempt to enforce its claim on the Strait of Hormuz being given as a reason for the repeated flare-ups. 

However, the situation has calmed down in the past several days. 

We will be covering the talks between the US and Iran that are taking place in Qatar today.

Iran and the US gave conflicting accounts regarding the talks, and Qatar also said no high-level meetings or direct talks between the two countries were planned.

According to the White House, US envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner are in Doha for the meeting.

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