‘Maybe an import, maybe not’: Donald Trump says as uncertainty continues over US-Iran talks in Qatar | Today’s news

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said there were no meetings planned between representatives of the Islamic Republic and the United States delegation “on Tuesday or in the coming days.” The comments come a day after it was reported that Washington and Tehran had agreed to end counterstrikes and meet in the Qatari capital of Doha.

No US-Iran talks on Tuesday

“We have no negotiation meetings at any level with the American side in the coming days,” Baghaei told a press conference on Monday.

Read also | US and Iran agree to end strikes; meet in Qatar, official says

“The fact that the US representatives are traveling to Qatar has nothing to do with the trip of the Iranian delegation, which is being undertaken following the implementation of the provisions of the Memorandum of Understanding, including Article 11,” he added.

US representatives on trip to Doha: White House

The White House has previously confirmed that US special envoy Steve Witkoff and US President Donald Trump’s top adviser Jared Kushner will travel to Doha for talks with Iran.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt also confirmed the development in an interview with Fox News, saying the meeting follows Iran’s request.

Read also | Iran asserts sole control over Hormuz and warns that challenges will bring more violence

“The president wants to see the peace process going, and the Iranians would do well to sign a good deal with the United States of America,” she said.

What Trump said

“Iran has requested a meeting. It will be held tomorrow in Doha,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

Commenting on the Doha meeting, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office: “Maybe the Doha meeting will be important, maybe not. We’ll find out.”

At the same time, he insisted that “we are winning militarily” and repeated his condition that Iran must be stopped from developing a nuclear weapon.

Why the final agreement is still far away

Although the Iranian side has agreed to stop the strikes, they point out that negotiations on a comprehensive deal have not yet begun.

“We have not yet entered the stage of negotiating a final agreement,” Baghaei said.

“According to Article 13 of the Memorandum of Understanding, the commencement of negotiations on a final agreement is conditional upon the commencement and continued implementation of Articles 1, 4, 5, 10 and 11,” he said.

The articles of the MoU set out key confidence-building measures that must be initiated before formal negotiations on a final agreement begin. Article 11 requires the US to make fully available frozen or restricted funds and assets to Iran for use according to mutually agreed procedures and to issue the necessary licenses and authorizations to facilitate access.

Baghaei also pointed out that according to Article 13 of the 14-point memorandum of understanding, negotiations on a final agreement can begin only after the implementation of the five provisions mentioned above has been initiated and continues, meaning that the parties must first demonstrate progress on the agreed interim measures before proceeding to broader negotiations.

Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi said earlier in a statement provided by Iran’s state-run Islamic Republic of Iran (IRIB) radio station that no technical working group meetings are scheduled for this week under the 14-point memorandum of understanding.

“The first round of technical talks will be held within designated working groups as soon as conditions are created and agreement on date and venue is reached, and consultations in this regard continue through intermediary countries,” Gharibabadi said in a statement.

Key things

• Negotiations are subject to the implementation of preliminary confidence-building measures as set out in the Memorandum of Understanding.
• The talks between the US and Iran highlight the lingering geopolitical tensions and complexities of negotiating a nuclear deal.
• Concerns remain about Iran’s nuclear ambitions, which the US insists must be addressed for any deal to proceed.