Two U.S. envoys arrived in Qatar on Tuesday to meet with mediators concerning the implementation of an initial deal intended to end the war in Iran, an official stated.
The visit included Steve Witkoff, special Mideast envoy for U.S. President Donald Trump, and Jared Kushner, his son-in-law. This trip follows a weekend marked by crossfire in the Persian Gulf over efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to shipping traffic.
Majed al-Ansari, a spokesman for Qatar’s Foreign Ministry, confirmed that the envoys will not engage in direct negotiations with Iranian diplomats while in Doha, the Qatari capital. Instead, mediators are currently serving as intermediaries for the talks, which he added will not involve any high-level officials.
Such indirect negotiations have occurred previously between Iran and the U.S. However, the two preceding rounds of discussions failed, leading to the 12-day war Israel launched against Iran in 2025 and the recent Iran war.
"We’re not expecting any high-level Iranian officials at the moment, but as I said, the technical meetings are ongoing ... and they haven’t stopped since then," al-Ansari told journalists during a weekly news conference.
Iran was also sending a delegation to Qatar this week. Esmail Baghaei, spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, stated on Tuesday that Iran has no plans for a meeting with the American side at any level in the coming days.
Baghaei informed journalists at his briefing that "What will take place in Doha tomorrow is a discussion with the Qatari side about implementing parts of the memorandum of understanding, including the release of Iran’s blocked assets."
This left open the possibility that messages could be conveyed to the Qataris between the two parties.
The U.S. and Iran had agreed to an interim deal earlier this month requiring Tehran to reduce its stockpile of enriched uranium. The agreement also waives U.S.-backed oil sanctions on the country, calls for free passage through the Strait of Hormuz, and grants each side 60 days to finalize broader agreements.
Before the war began on February 28, a fifth of the world’s oil was shipped through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's threats and attacks halted cargo ships and tankers from traversing the strait, which created a global energy crisis.
The strait has long been considered an international waterway despite being situated within the territorial waters of Iran and Oman.
Both nations exchanged strikes amid last week’s efforts to open Oman’s territorial waters in the strait for both inbound and outbound ship traffic from the Persian Gulf. This raised concerns that negotiations aimed at formally ending the war could be disrupted.
Iran twice attacked vessels in the strait, including a tanker carrying Qatari crude, drawing retaliatory American airstrikes. Furthermore, Iran launched drone and missile attacks targeting Bahrain and Kuwait on Sunday.