The latest round of indirect talks between Iran and the United States concluded in Doha, Qatar, on Wednesday without a major breakthrough, as both sides focused on implementing parts of a temporary ceasefire agreement rather than tackling the long-running dispute over Iran’s nuclear programme.
Sources familiar with the negotiations said officials spent two days discussing maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and the release of frozen Iranian funds—two key issues outlined in the interim agreement reached two weeks ago.
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said another round of talks will take place after the funeral of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who is scheduled to be buried on 9 July.
The ministry described the discussions as showing “positive progress” on matters related to the ceasefire memorandum and said the talks were building on the outcomes of an earlier summit held in Switzerland.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump expressed optimism, telling reporters that negotiations over possible restrictions on Iran’s nuclear programme were progressing well.
“The denuclearisation of Iran is moving along well. They’ve had very good meetings, and we’ll see,” Trump said.
However, sources close to the talks said the nuclear issue was not discussed during the latest round, as the meetings were limited to technical matters.
US Vice President JD Vance confirmed that nuclear negotiations would be addressed at a later stage.
“Obviously, we’re worried about the nuclear issue. We’re going to start talking about that,” he said.
Negotiators from both countries met separately with Qatari and Pakistani mediators. White House envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, who had travelled to the region for what the White House described as high-level discussions, did not attend the technical sessions.
Iran’s delegation was led by Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, who confirmed the talks had concluded. Neither side indicated whether any major differences had been resolved.
A major sticking point remains the future of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important shipping routes, which handled around one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas trade before the recent conflict.
Although commercial shipping has partially resumed, uncertainty remains after the two countries exchanged military strikes last weekend following an Iranian attack on a cargo vessel.
According to senior Iranian sources, Tehran is determined to secure international recognition of its control over the strategic waterway and has repeatedly stated it intends to begin charging tolls on vessels from mid-August, after a temporary toll-free period expires under the interim agreement.
Despite the unresolved issues, Trump suggested the risk of another full-scale conflict had eased.
“I think they’ve come a long way,” he said.
Oil prices fell to their lowest level in four months following Trump’s remarks, prompting analysts to lower their price forecasts for the first time since the conflict began.
Meanwhile, Iranian state media reported that a foreign container ship had run aground in shallow waters outside the shipping lane designated by Iranian authorities.
Market analysts said navigation through the Strait of Hormuz remains inconsistent despite the reopening.
“Hormuz continues to reopen, but it’s patchy, unpredictable and not fully transparent,” said Vandana Hari, founder of energy market consultancy Vanda Insights.
Several European countries have offered assistance in clearing naval mines from the Strait, but German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said Germany is unlikely to participate, citing Iran’s reluctance to cooperate with foreign nations.
