Qatar hosts US envoys as Iran sets terms for final US talks
Doha meetings are focused on a US-Iran agreement, while Tehran says Washington must first carry out several provisions.
By Lucas Ferreira · Science & Environment Writer
3 min read
Qatar’s prime minister met US envoys in Doha as diplomatic efforts over a US-Iran agreement continued, Al Jazeera reported. Iran, meanwhile, said it will not start talks on a final deal until Washington carries out several conditions tied to the broader regional conflict.
Al Jazeera reported that Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani held talks with Steve Witkoff, the US envoy to the Middle East, and Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law. The report said the two US figures were in Qatar to discuss the US-Iran agreement.
Iranian negotiators were also in Doha, according to Al Jazeera. The outlet reported that no direct meeting between the Iranian and US sides was planned.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Tehran would not begin negotiations on a final agreement with the United States before Washington implements provisions covering several issues, Al Jazeera reported. Those include ending hostilities in Lebanon, reopening the Strait of Hormuz, granting waivers for Iranian oil exports and releasing frozen Iranian funds.
US Vice President JD Vance said oil traffic in the Strait of Hormuz had “reached its pre-war height,” according to Al Jazeera. Vance also said agreements on Lebanon state that the country’s territorial integrity will be respected.
The diplomacy comes as Israel’s actions in Lebanon remain a point of tension. Al Jazeera reported that Israel claimed it had killed another Hezbollah fighter in southern Lebanon.
Israeli media reported that the withdrawal of Israeli troops from two “pilot zones” in Zawthar and Froun had been delayed, according to Al Jazeera. The reported delay is pending agreement on a US oversight mechanism.
Lebanon and Israel reached a framework agreement in Washington on June 26 after five rounds of talks, according to an AFP photo caption carried by Al Jazeera. The caption said the agreement aims to open a path toward peace between the neighbors and includes plans to disarm Hezbollah.
Hezbollah has rejected the agreement, according to the same AFP caption. It described tensions in Beirut after billboards on the airport road near a Hezbollah stronghold were changed to read “Lebanon first,” then defaced with “Army, People, Resistance” and set on fire.
Al Jazeera also reported that officials describe the Lebanon-Israel framework as a roadmap for ending hostilities, while critics question whether Lebanon accepted a ceasefire at the cost of accountability. The outlet said its video review of the first three months of the ceasefire examined continued Israeli airstrikes and the displacement of more than one million people.
In a separate track, a Hamas delegation held talks in Cairo with Egyptian and Turkish intelligence chiefs, Al Jazeera reported. The discussions focused on the second phase of the ceasefire in Gaza.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.