Talks Between the U.S. and Iran Not Confirmed in Doha

• Qatar and Iran denied that a high-level meeting between U.S. and Iranian delegations would take place in Doha in the near future.
• An exchange of strikes between the sides has deepened doubts about the implementation of the June 17 agreements and work through intermediaries.
• In France, 75 lawmakers took up the cause of Iranian political prisoners as part of a campaign to defend people facing the death penalty.

This is reported by NBC News, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

Qatar and Iran said that no high-level talks between the U.S. and Iran are scheduled in Doha in the coming days, despite reports from the White House about a trip by special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. The Iranian side also said its technical delegation is traveling to Qatar separately and is not connected to American representatives.

Disagreements over the meeting emerged against the backdrop of an exchange of strikes between the U.S. and Iran, which has strengthened the fragile ceasefire and cast doubt on the resumption of talks. According to Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari, the American delegation will meet with Qatari mediators, but not with the Iranian side at a high level.

U.S. President Donald Trump had previously said that Iran itself had supposedly requested the meeting in Doha on June 30. At the same time, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said there would be no talks with the American side in the coming days, and that the trip of the technical team to Doha concerns separate issues, including the roughly $6 billion in unfrozen funds held in Qatar.

According to sources, talks between the sides are to take place through intermediaries, including Qatar and Pakistan. Earlier, the sides signed a 14-point memorandum that gives 60 days to prepare a final agreement on ending the war and other issues, including Iran’s nuclear program and the situation in the Strait of Hormuz.

Separately, in France on June 29, 75 lawmakers took up the cause of individual Iranian political prisoners sentenced to death or those facing imminent execution. The initiative became part of a new campaign by the National Assembly organized by the Iran Freedom Congress.

Campaign representatives said they want to increase international pressure on Tehran and make human rights a mandatory topic in future talks with Western governments. According to them, since the start of the war on February 28, Iran has detained hundreds of people on accusations of cooperating with the U.S. and Israel, and has also carried out new executions.

Tags: Middle East/Politics