DOHA/TEHRAN/WASHINGTON,

02 July (H.S.): Iran and the United States have agreed in principle to hold direct talks following mediation efforts led by Qatar and Pakistan in Doha, marking a significant diplomatic development amid efforts to ease tensions between the two countries.

US President Donald Trump described the mediation efforts as a step in the right direction, saying progress had been made toward resolving outstanding issues between Washington and Tehran.

Speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday, Trump said there had been good progress on the issue and added that Iran was moving in the right direction on nuclear disarmament. Qatar also welcomed the progress in negotiations and said the venue for the next round of talks would be decided after the funeral of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

According to reports by CBS News, Qatar Tribune and Al Jazeera, Qatar's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al Ansari said on Wednesday that discussions related to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) had made positive progress. In a post on X, he said Qatari and Pakistani mediators held separate meetings in Doha with American and Iranian negotiators.

Al Ansari said the discussions built upon the outcomes of the Lake Lucerne Summit and made progress on issues connected with the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding. He added that all parties had agreed to continue negotiations and that the next meeting would be scheduled as soon as possible after the funeral of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei.

US President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff remained in Doha during the latest round of indirect negotiations. They met Qatar's Prime Minister but did not participate in the technical-level discussions.

Meanwhile, US Vice President J.D. Vance discussed the Doha negotiations but stopped short of ruling out future military action. He said the talks were progressing well but cautioned that the possibility of large-scale military operations could not be completely dismissed.

After meeting US Marines at Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia, Vance told reporters that he could not make any guarantees because future developments depended on decisions taken by Iran's leadership. He said President Trump would not deploy military forces unless it became necessary or there was a clear strategic objective. However, he warned that Washington's approach would change if Iran attempted to revive its nuclear programme or resumed attacks on commercial shipping. At present, he said, the President's message to Iran was to negotiate sincerely and reach an agreement.

Qatar said the latest round of indirect technical negotiations in Doha had concluded positively, focusing on issues arising from the Memorandum of Understanding signed on June 17. Tehran said a communication channel would be established with Washington to report and discuss any alleged violations of the agreement.

Iran also reported that a foreign container vessel had run aground in shallow waters outside the designated shipping channel in the Strait of Hormuz.

Separately, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi dismissed the outcome of the US-led regional security dialogue held in Bahrain, where representatives from 12 countries discussed security in the Strait of Hormuz. He reiterated that the strategic waterway remains under Iran's control and argued that the military meeting in Bahrain could neither establish a legal security framework nor ensure lasting stability in the Persian Gulf.

Gharibabadi also clarified that the Iranian delegation in Doha had held discussions only with Qatari and Pakistani representatives. His remarks came after the United States announced that senior military officials from 12 countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Lebanon and Syria, had met in Bahrain and reaffirmed their commitment to ensuring the uninterrupted flow of commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

The Qatari Council of Ministers reiterated its support for continued dialogue between the United States and Iran, stressing that peaceful negotiations remain the best means of achieving a lasting resolution to outstanding disputes. During its weekly meeting chaired by Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani on Wednesday, the Council also strongly condemned Iran's attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait, describing them as a clear violation of the sovereignty of both countries and a serious breach of international law.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar