United States President Donald Trump said the U.S. and Iran are set to hold fresh talks in Qatar, despite Tehran insisting no negotiations with Washington are currently scheduled following a weekend of military exchanges.
Trump announced the planned meeting in a post on Truth Social on Monday.
“IRAN HAS REQUESTED A MEETING. IT WILL TAKE PLACE TOMORROW IN DOHA!,” Trump said.
The proposed talks follow a series of strikes exchanged by the United States and Iran over the weekend that threatened to undermine efforts to end the conflict.
According to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, Trump is sending special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner to lead the U.S. delegation.
Speaking to Fox News on Monday, Leavitt said the pair would travel to Doha for the meeting.
“As far as we’re concerned, we’re holding up our end of the ceasefire. Violence will be met with violence,” she added.
“The United States of America has the best and strongest military in the world. The president retains the right to use it. But again, the memorandum of understanding will continue to be discussed. The ceasefire is in place, and we hope that we can get to a good deal.”
However, Iran disputed Trump's assertion that negotiations had been arranged. While Tehran confirmed it would send a technical delegation to Qatar this week, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said the visit was unrelated to the American delegation.
"We will not have any negotiation meetings at any level with the American side in the coming days," Baghaei said.
The latest diplomatic uncertainty follows U.S. strikes on Iranian military targets over the weekend, launched in response to Tehran's attacks on shipping in the strategically important Strait of Hormuz.
Following the attacks, Trump again warned Iran of severe military consequences if hostilities resumed.
“There may come a point when we are no longer able to be reasonable, and will be forced to militarily complete the job that we very successfully started. If that happens, the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist!” he wrote on Truth Social.
