They are in progress from today, Wednesday, between and , with the aim of reaching an agreement on navigation in the Straits of Hormuz and the fire. According to a source with direct knowledge of the contacts and an Iranian official, the talks are based on the 14-point interim agreement signed last month aimed at ending the war that erupted after US-Israeli strikes on Iran last February.
Diplomatic background and Kushner’s role
The US president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and special envoy Steve Witkoff, met with the prime minister of Qatar, which is mediating the talks with Pakistan, to prepare the ground, but they themselves did not “attend” direct negotiations.
Qatari PM Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani meets US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Doha to discuss US-Iran negotiations and regional stability efforts
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Despite the interim agreement, which called for 60 days of negotiations, for a permanent peace settlement, Washington and Tehran have publicly disagreed over the interpretation of the pact, which led to military strikes on both sides last week.
The “thorn” of Hormuz and the 6 billion dollars
Iran appears determined to win international recognition of its control of the Straits of Hormuz and its right to collect tolls from ships entering or leaving the Gulf, even through the use of force. Shipping traffic has been partially restored in the passage, which before the war carried one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) trade.
The talks in Doha, held at the level of chief negotiators and experts, focus on two key issues for the Iranian side:
- The management of the Straits of Hormuz.
- The release of Iranian assets, amounting to 6 billion dollars, which remain “frozen”.
For its part, the US maintains that it sets as an absolute priority the safeguarding of free navigation.
“The Strait of Hormuz continues to reopen, but the situation is patchy, unpredictable and without full transparency,” commented Vandana Hari, founder of analytics firm Vanda Insights, as Iranian media reported that a foreign container ship had run aground in the shallows of the Straits, off course.
Political pressures and the “front” of Lebanon
The war has sparked Iranian attacks on Gulf states that host US military bases, cost thousands of lives (mostly in Iran and Lebanon) and sent fuel prices skyrocketing. Donald Trump is under intense political pressure to limit the economic fallout ahead of November’s mid-term congressional elections, while in Iran, the theocratic leadership faces domestic anger over the crippled economy.
At the same time, the interim agreement provides for an end to the parallel conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon. The US supports a separate channel of talks between Israel and Lebanon, which has led to a framework security agreement. However, Hezbollah has rejected it, while analysts warn that the deal could consolidate Israel’s occupation of southern Lebanon.
Source: Reuters
