Doha Talks Uncertain as Iran Denies Negotiating With US
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- Jared Kushner and envoy Steve Witkoff were expected in Doha on Tuesday for "high-level meetings," with technical discussions continuing on the sidelines, the White House said.
- Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said the country's technical delegation to Qatar had "no relation" to the Americans' visit, declaring: "We will not have any negotiation meetings at any level with the American side in the coming days."
- The June 17 interim accord — a 14-point pact allowing 60 days for permanent truce negotiations — was tested by weekend exchanges of fire, with Iran launching missiles and drones at U.S. military sites in Kuwait and Bahrain on Sunday.
- Iran has moved to assert control over the Strait of Hormuz alongside Oman, planning to charge transit fees and obstructing vessels straying outside defined paths; the U.S. says Iran hit at least two commercial ships since Thursday.
- Oil prices slipped further on Tuesday on de-escalation signals and were on track for their biggest quarterly loss since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
- Trump called the Doha meeting "perhaps important, perhaps not" and separately authorized a temporary suspension of duties on Moroccan phosphate fertilizer imports, citing shortages linked to Hormuz disruptions.
- Lebanon's parliament speaker Nabih Berri cast doubt on a U.S.-brokered Israel-Lebanon framework, with analysts warning it risks entrenching a stalemate by tying Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon to Hezbollah's disarmament.
Why it matters: The diplomatic disconnect means the 60-day window in the June 17 interim accord is closing without confirmed US-Iran talks, while Iran's bid to control and monetize the Strait of Hormuz — previously carrying a fifth of global oil and LNG trade — keeps a key chokepoint in limbo. Trump faces November midterm pressure over war-driven inflation and fertilizer shortages.
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