• Witkoff, Kushner to travel to Doha for ‘high-level meetings’ today; talks to ‘focus on Hormuz, de-escalation’
• PM Shehbaz to visit Iran, Turkiye in coming days to push for peace
• Iran, Oman joint committee exchanges views on ‘future management’ of vital waterway
• Pezeshkian claims $6bn in frozen assets to be released

TEHRAN/WASHINGTON: After tit-for-tat weekend strikes that threatened to derail the fragile accord, the US and Iran will return to the table with a high-level meeting in Doha on Tuesday to continue discussions on the interim peace agreement amid conflicting reports on the status of the technical talks.

US President Donald Trump’s top envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, will travel to Doha to attend the “high-level meetings”, with the president saying the meeting would be held at Iran’s request. “Iran has requested a meeting. It will take place tomorrow in Doha!” Trump wrote in a social media post.

“Special Envoy Witkoff and Jared Kushner will be flying to Doha for high-level meetings this week, as we continue to discuss the memorandum of understanding. On the sidelines of those high-level talks, will be the technical talks,” said White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt. Ms Leavitt said Trump wanted to “see the peace process play out” while warning Iran to desist from any attacks in the Strait of Hormuz. “The president obviously wants to see the peace process play out, and the Iranians would be best to sign a good deal with the United States of America, because the president has proven he’s unafraid to use the might of our military,” she said.

It is unclear if the Doha meeting would be the resumption of technical-level talks under the interim peace accord, but an Iranian official quoted by Reuters said that “unlike previous technical talks between Tehran and Washington in Switzerland, the focus would be on managing the Strait of Hormuz and de-escalating tensions”. Reuters reported that mediators had established communications channels to de-escalate any incidents, and technical talks were set to continue.

The US and Iran signed a 14-point memorandum of understanding aimed at ending four months of conflict on June 17, under which both sides agreed to cease hostilities and reopen the strait, through which a fifth of the world’s oil and gas typically transits. The accord paved the way for 60 days of in-depth talks on thornier issues such as Iran’s nuclear programme.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose government played a key role in securing the interim agreement, will be visiting Turkiye and Iran from July 3 to July 6, sources told Dawn. He would meet the Turkish and Iranian leadership during the trip and urge all parties to refrain from re-escalation.

Hormuz meeting

Meanwhile, Iran and Oman conducted the first meeting of a joint committee on the Strait of Hormuz in Muscat, an Iranian deputy foreign minister said on his X account. Kazem Gharibabadi said they had exchanged views on Gulf coastal states’ sovereign rights as well as on the strait’s future management based on the interim deal signed this month by Tehran and Washington.

He also said the removal of mines from the Strait of Hormuz would be carried out solely by Iran, according to the Islamabad MoU between Tehran and Washington. “Emmanuel Macron says France and Oman are working together to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East and will cooperate with their partners on clearing mines from the Strait of Hormuz,” Mr Gharibabadi added. “The situation is sensitive and complex, we strongly advise France not to complicate it further with its provocations.”

Earlier, Mr Macron said he was working with Oman to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East and would cooperate with partners to de-mine the Strait of Hormuz.

Frozen assets

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Monday that $6 billion out of $12 billion of assets frozen in Qatar would be released following the accord and returned to Iran, Iranian state media reported. He described the memorandum, which includes waivers for sanctions on Iran’s oil and petrochemical sectors, as a “great victory for the Iranian people”.

A senior Iranian source quoted by Reuters said Doha and Tehran were in the final stages of agreeing on technicalities for the release of the first $6 billion of frozen assets, which he said would be issued in two tranches. Consultations with Qatar, including on following up on the implementation of the other side’s commitments, were continuing as usual, he said.

Published in Dawn, June 30th, 2026