The Qatari Foreign Ministry announced progress in indirect negotiations between the US and Iran

Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majid al-Ansari said that on Wednesday, July 1, separate meetings of Qatari and Pakistani mediators with representatives of the United States and Iran took place in Doha. He said the talks made “positive progress” on issues related to the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding.

Al-Ansari wrote on social network X that the parties agreed to continue discussions in the near future. The next meeting should be scheduled “as soon as possible” after the funeral of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iranian authorities plan to hold Khamenei’s funeral ceremonies from July 4 to July 9 in Iraq and Iran.

According to Reuters, the current round of negotiations focused mainly on issues related to the Strait of Hormuz and the unfreezing of Iranian funds. However, the agency notes that significant progress on a long-term peace agreement has not yet been achieved.

Negotiations between the United States and Iran remain indirect: representatives of the two countries do not hold direct meetings, and the exchange of positions takes place through intermediaries. AP reports that in Doha, the American side was represented by Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, and the Iranian side was represented by Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharib-Abadi.