Trump Says US-Iran Doha Talks 'Going Well' After Heavy Strikes
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- Trump said the US "hit Iran very hard last week" but described relations with Tehran as improving, calling Qatar-mediated talks positive and claiming denuclearization was "moving along well."
- US and Iranian officials held indirect technical talks in Doha on Wednesday, mediated by Qatar and Pakistan, centered on preserving commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and securing a lasting ceasefire.
- The negotiations are built on a 14-point interim agreement signed last month that halted fighting and reopened the Strait, giving both sides 60 days to negotiate a permanent settlement.
- Iran is seeking international recognition of its authority over the Strait of Hormuz, the right to collect transit fees from ships, and release of $6 billion in frozen Iranian assets.
- Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff traveled to Qatar ahead of the talks, meeting the country's prime minister and emir to lay groundwork but sitting out the technical discussions themselves.
- The Doha agenda notably excluded the nuclear programme, which Trump said was progressing — there was no indication negotiators formally discussed it on Wednesday.
- Iranian state media reported a foreign container ship ran aground outside the shipping lane designated by Iranian authorities, highlighting the continuing risks in the waterway.
- The interim deal also covers Lebanon, where Hezbollah has rejected a US-backed Israel-Lebanon border security framework, complicating the broader peace track.
Why it matters: Iran's $6 billion asset-release demand and bid for recognized authority over the Strait of Hormuz directly conflict with Washington's priority of uninterrupted commercial shipping. The 60-day clock on the interim agreement is already slipping — interpretive disputes over that deal triggered this week's strikes, and Doha's agenda sidelined the nuclear file Trump claimed was advancing. Whoever concedes on transit fees or frozen funds will shape the final settlement.
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