U.S. and Iran Hold Indirect Talks in Qatar on Hormuz Shipping and Asset Release

Indirect technical talks between the U.S. and Iran began Tuesday night in Doha, Qatar, and continued Wednesday, mediated by Qatar and Pakistan. The discussions focus on commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and the release of six billion dollars in frozen Iranian assets.

The sessions rest on a 14-point interim accord signed last month that calls for reopening the waterway, halting the war that began with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran in February, and starting 60 days of negotiations toward a permanent peace deal. The talks will later address Iran's nuclear capabilities.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi led a delegation that included representatives from the foreign ministry, central bank and agriculture ministry. Iran seeks international recognition of its control over the strait and the ability to levy fees on ships. The U.S.

Priority is ensuring the free flow of traffic. Traffic has partially resumed through the strait, which handled one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas trade before the war. Ship traffic remains patchy and unpredictable.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance stated the talks are going well but added that he could not guarantee Washington would avoid a return to full combat operations before next month's deadline. "I can't commit to anything, because, obviously, it depends on what the Iranians are going to do," Vance said.

President Donald Trump has directed officials to reach a deal. " Iran says it has launched retaliatory strikes on U.S. bases in Kuwait and Bahrain. Iranian state media reported that a foreign container ship ran aground in the strait after entering shallow waters outside the route designated by Iranian authorities.

Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and envoy Steve Witkoff met Qatar's prime minister and later the emir to prepare the ground for the talks and discuss developments in Lebanon. -backed track produced a framework security agreement between Israel and the Lebanese government. Intensive diplomatic discussions on Lebanon continued until Tuesday evening.