The United States and Iran have begun indirect working-level negotiations in the mediating country of Qatar, focusing on the Strait of Hormuz and the issue of frozen Iranian assets.
According to Reuters on Monday, US and Iranian officials were conducting indirect working-level talks that day in Doha, the Qatari capital, related to signing a war-ending memorandum of understanding (MOU) under Pakistani and Qatari mediation.
A senior Iranian official said, "The indirect negotiations began the previous night, with Iran meeting with Qatari and Pakistani officials before meeting again with the US side." He added, "The indirect negotiations are continuing today as well. The Strait of Hormuz and the issue of frozen Iranian assets are being addressed as key topics in these talks." Iran has demanded the priority release of $6 billion (about 9.3 trillion won) of its frozen assets and recognition of its control over the Strait of Hormuz.
Steve Witkoff, the White House special envoy leading the US negotiating team, and Jared Kushner, son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, arrived in Doha the previous day. They met with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani to lay the groundwork for the talks, but are reportedly not participating in the working-level negotiations themselves.
A source familiar with the matter said, "The US priority is guaranteeing the free movement of ships within the Strait of Hormuz." Iranian state media had earlier reported that "a foreign cargo ship that had strayed from the route designated by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz ran aground."
When the US-Israeli attacks began on Feb. 28, Iran blockaded the Strait of Hormuz, a major crude oil transport route in the Middle East, and has restricted the routes available to ships in the region to south of Larak Island. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has warned that "accidents may occur if ships use unauthorized routes."
The US and Iran put the war-ending MOU into effect on Oct. 17 and held their first follow-up negotiations on Oct. 21 at the Bürgenstock Resort near Lake Lucerne in Switzerland. Through the MOU, the US and Iran agreed to cease hostilities on all fronts, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and lift the US maritime blockade against Iran, and conduct 60 days of follow-up negotiations on Iran's nuclear issue. The two sides have continued their negotiations while exchanging sporadic airstrikes in the Strait of Hormuz.
