The United States and Iranian officials concluded separate rounds of talks with Qatari and Pakistani mediators in Doha on Wednesday, with both sides reporting "positive progress" on issues related to the 14-point Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
According to Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the discussions built on the outcomes of the Lake Lucerne Summit and will continue after the funeral ceremonies for Iran's former Supreme Leader.
"Qatar and Pakistan's mediators concluded separate meetings with the US and Iranian negotiators in Doha today, with positive progress made on issues related to the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, building on the outcomes of the Lake Lucerne Summit," ministry spokesperson Majed Al Ansari said in a post on X.
"The parties agreed to continue discussions over the coming period, with the next meeting to be scheduled at the earliest possible time following the funeral processions of the former Iranian Supreme Leader," he added.
Iranian authorities are scheduled to hold funeral ceremonies for former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei from July 4 to July 9 across locations in Iran and Iraq. Khamenei was killed in an airstrike on the opening day of the US-Israel war with Iran on February 28.
Iranian officials said the latest diplomatic discussions focused on the release of part of Iran's initially frozen US$6 billion in assets, as well as Tehran's allegations that Washington had violated key provisions of the MoU.
"In meetings with Qatari officials, including the Central Bank, some issues related to the expenditure of part of the initial US$6 billion were examined. It was decided that, in line with our country's stated needs, the purchase of essential goods would be carried out and made available to Iran," Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi was quoted as saying by the state-run IRNA news agency.
Iran also raised what it described as explicit US violations of Clause 1 of the MoU, which concerns the cessation of hostilities in Lebanon. Tehran further criticised what it called interventionist and threatening rhetoric from American officials.
"It was decided that a direct communication channel for the monitoring group would be established by tomorrow, and that shortcomings in the implementation of the MoU would be reported, discussed and decided upon in a formal and documented manner," Gharibabadi said.
