Indirect talks between the United States and Iran concluded in Doha on Wednesday with no indication the two sides had moved closer to a lasting peace agreement, as negotiators focused on implementing elements of last month's interim accord rather than Tehran's nuclear programme.
Sources familiar with the discussions told Reuters that the two-day talks centred on maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and the unfreezing of Iranian funds, two key issues covered under the agreement reached in June.
According to Qatar's Foreign Ministry, the next round of discussions will take place after funeral processions for Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who is due to be buried on 9 July.
Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Majed Al Ansari said the discussions had delivered encouraging results.
"Qatar & Pakistan mediators concluded separate meetings with the U.S. & 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," he said in a statement 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."
American and Iranian officials held separate meetings with Qatari and Pakistani mediators throughout the talks, according to Qatar's foreign ministry.
The head of the Iranian delegation, Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, confirmed the talks had concluded, although neither delegation indicated whether any significant differences had been resolved.
In Washington, President Donald Trump struck an optimistic tone, telling reporters that negotiations over potential limits on Iran's nuclear programme were progressing.
"The denuclearisation of Iran is moving along well," he said. "They've had very good meetings, and we'll see."
However, sources familiar with the discussions said Iran's nuclear programme was not raised during the Doha meetings, describing the negotiations as technical and focused on implementing the existing memorandum of understanding.
The absence of senior U.S. officials also underscored the technical nature of the discussions. Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, who had been expected to participate in what the White House described as "high-level" talks, did not attend, Reuters reported, citing a source familiar with the matter.
Vice President JD Vance also expressed confidence in the negotiations but declined to rule out future military action should Iran fail to meet U.S. expectations.
"I can't commit to anything, because obviously it depends on what the Iranians are ultimately going to do," Vance told reporters after speaking to Marines at Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia.
"As I said up there, what I can commit to is the president's not going to send our military back in unless he has to, unless there's a clearly defined purpose for it."
"If we've got to do more, of course, that's kind of up to the Iranians," he added. "If they try to rebuild their nuclear program, if they try to start shooting at commercial vessels again, that's going to change our calculus. But right now, what the president has said is, 'Go and make a deal, go and negotiate in good faith', and that's what he's empowered us to do."
Vance's remarks also suggested substantive negotiations on Iran's nuclear programme had yet to commence.
"Obviously, we're worried about the nuclear issue, we're going to start talking about that," Vance said. "So right now the talks are going well, it's still pretty early, but talks are going well."
He reiterated that Washington retained military options should Iran resume activities viewed as threatening regional stability.
"If they try to rebuild that nuclear program, if they refuse to let inspections in, if they … resume shooting commercial vessels, which they have stopped for a few days, then obviously the president still has a lot of options on the table," Vance said.
