Tehran plans US channel to track ceasefire agreement breaches
Iran said the channel would follow an interim deal brokered by Qatar and Pakistan after technical talks with US officials in Doha.
By Lucas Ferreira · Science & Environment Writer
3 min read
Iran plans to open a communications channel with the United States to report alleged violations of an interim agreement that halted recent fighting, Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Wednesday. The move matters because the two sides are trying to keep a fragile ceasefire alive while also addressing shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s nuclear programme.
Gharibabadi made the announcement after indirect technical discussions between Iranian and US officials in Doha, according to AFP and Reuters. The talks were part of efforts to reduce tensions after a period of reciprocal military strikes that followed disputes over the meaning of the memorandum of understanding.
The MoU was brokered last month by Qatar and Pakistan, according to AFP and Reuters. It provides for a 60-day ceasefire, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and a timetable for a final agreement aimed at permanently ending the war and reaching terms on Iran’s nuclear programme.
Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has partly resumed, AFP and Reuters reported. The waterway remained a focus of the Doha discussions because of its role in global energy shipments and the ceasefire’s connection to freedom of navigation.
Frozen assets also discussed
Gharibabadi said the talks in Qatar also covered the use of part of $6bn in frozen Iranian assets. He said meetings with Qatari officials, including the central bank, reviewed how some of the initial funds would be spent.
“It was agreed that, based on the needs communicated by our country, the required goods would be purchased and made available to Iran,” Gharibabadi said.
US President Donald Trump had previously said Iran would be allowed to use the money only to buy US products, according to AFP and Reuters. Gharibabadi’s comments indicated Tehran expects the funds to be spent on goods it identifies as necessary.
Qatar continues mediation
Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani met US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, in Doha on Wednesday, according to AFP and Reuters. The emir reaffirmed Qatar’s mediation role, alongside Pakistan, in efforts to end the war in the Middle East.
Trump praised the Doha contacts, telling reporters the meetings had been “very good.” He also said “the denuclearisation of Iran is moving along well,” while adding that the United States had hit Iran “very hard” but was now “getting along very well.”
US Vice President JD Vance was more cautious when asked whether Washington could rule out renewed combat before the MoU’s deadline next month. “I can’t commit to anything, because obviously it depends on what the Iranians are ultimately going to do,” Vance told reporters in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Vance said Trump would not send the US military back into action without a clear reason. “What I can commit to is: The president’s not going to send our military back in unless he has to, unless there’s a clearly defined purpose for it,” he said.
Oil prices fell about 2 percent Wednesday to their lowest levels since February, according to AFP and Reuters. The decline followed Trump’s upbeat comments on the talks, which eased concerns about supply risks tied to the US-Iran confrontation.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.