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US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that indirect negotiations between the United States and Iran in Qatar were making progress, offering cautious optimism that diplomacy remains on track despite recent military exchanges that threatened efforts to end the conflict in the Middle East.
“As far as things are going, the denuclearisation of Iran is moving along well,” Trump told reporters before boarding Air Force One. “We hit them very hard… but we’re getting along very well,” he added.
The talks in Doha focused on implementing a memorandum of understanding reached last month following mediation by Qatar and Pakistan at a summit in Lucerne, Switzerland. The agreement includes a 60-day ceasefire, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and a roadmap toward a broader settlement covering the conflict and Iran’s nuclear programme.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, who headed Tehran’s delegation, later confirmed that the discussions had concluded and that both sides agreed to establish a communication channel by Thursday to report and document any violations of the initial agreement.
Gharibabadi said the talks also addressed the release of frozen Iranian assets, a longstanding demand by Tehran.
According to him, negotiators reviewed the use of an initial $6 billion and agreed that the funds would be used to purchase essential goods needed by Iran.
Despite Trump’s remarks, Iran maintained that no direct negotiations had taken place.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei reiterated that Tehran had “no plans for negotiations with the American side at any level” in the coming days, insisting the contacts remained indirect.
A diplomat familiar with the discussions said the technical-level meetings were intended to build on progress achieved at the Lucerne summit by addressing practical issues related to implementing the memorandum.
U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner did not participate in the technical negotiations. However, they met Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani on Tuesday to discuss the U.S.-Iran negotiations and regional developments, including Lebanon.
On Wednesday, the two U.S. officials also met Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
Analysts said the continuation of diplomatic engagement was encouraging despite lingering tensions.
Anna Jacobs, a non-resident fellow at the Arab Gulf States Institute, said it was still “very early in the negotiation process,” but noted that continued dialogue following recent clashes was a positive sign.
The negotiations come after several military incidents in the Gulf tested the fragile ceasefire.
Iran recently targeted a commercial vessel it said had deviated from an approved route through the Strait of Hormuz, prompting the U.S. Central Command to announce strikes on 10 Iranian military targets.
Iran subsequently launched attacks on U.S. military bases in Kuwait and Bahrain, drawing condemnation from both Gulf countries.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf acknowledged that implementing the ceasefire would inevitably involve challenges and disagreements, particularly regarding Israel’s role.
He said Iran’s delegation in Doha was concentrating on implementing provisions related to the Strait of Hormuz and the conflict in Lebanon.
Despite recent hostilities, tensions appeared to ease ahead of the Doha talks. Oil prices declined as markets responded positively to the continuation of U.S.-Iran diplomacy.
On the Lebanese front, exchanges of fire between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement have also remained relatively limited in recent days, although Tehran continues to insist that any comprehensive agreement must include an end to the fighting in Lebanon and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanese territory.
