US and Iran delegations head to Doha amid uncertainty over talks

Iran and the US are sending delegations to Doha this week, but Tehran insists no negotiations are scheduled, casting doubt on the fragile ceasefire agreement signed on June 17. The 60-day framework aimed at ending the four-month-old war has been strained by recent tit-for-tat strikes, including an Iranian drone attack on a tanker and US retaliatory strikes on Iranian targets.

Conflicting signals

US President Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff and senior adviser Jared Kushner are traveling to Qatar for what the White House called "high-level meetings" Source: euronewsen. However, Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson stated, "we will not have any negotiation meetings at any level with the American side in the coming days" Source: euronewsen. A senior Iranian official acknowledged a meeting on Tuesday focused on managing the Strait of Hormuz and de-escalation, but another official said technical teams would meet separately with Qatari and Pakistani mediators Source: cna.

Ceasefire under strain

The deal has been tested by an exchange of strikes: an Iranian drone hit a tanker near the strait, prompting US Central Command to strike Iranian military targets, and Iran retaliated with attacks on US bases in Kuwait and Bahrain. Both sides have since agreed to stand down Source: euronewsen. Maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has plummeted; Kpler reported only 12 vessels crossed on Sunday Source: euronewsen.

De-mining dispute

A separate complication arose when France and Oman announced joint de-mining operations, with Iran's deputy foreign minister asserting that only Iran is authorized to conduct them under the agreement, warning France not to "complicate it further" .