Qatar: US and Iran Agree to Continue Consultations

【Global Times Special Correspondent Wang Yi】“The U.S. and Iran have concluded a round of indirect technical talks, but there are no signs that either side has made progress toward achieving lasting peace.” Al Jazeera reported that on July 1, the U.S. and Iran held indirect technical talks in Doha, the capital of Qatar, where both sides are still debating issues that were reportedly resolved in the preliminary agreement. On the 4th, the funeral of Iran's late Supreme Leader Khamenei will be held in Tehran, and the Qatari side stated that the U.S. and Iran agreed to continue consultations, with the next meeting to be scheduled as soon as possible after Khamenei's funeral.

After the talks, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Garibabadi, who led the delegation to Qatar, stated that the Doha talks focused on the U.S. violations of the memorandum of understanding and Iran's frozen assets. According to the Iranian Students' News Agency, Garibabadi expressed the Iranian delegation's concerns regarding the U.S. violation of the first article of the memorandum concerning the commitment to cease hostilities in Lebanon.

Regarding Iran's frozen assets, Garibabadi said: “In discussions with officials from the Central Bank of Qatar and others, both sides explored the use of some of the first $6 billion of frozen funds. The meeting decided that necessary supplies would be procured and delivered to Iran based on the needs declared by Iran.”

The Speaker of the Iranian Islamic Consultative Assembly, Ghalibaf, told the Iranian Students' News Agency on the 2nd that the previous talks in Switzerland accelerated the unfreezing of Iranian assets and successfully implemented measures to suspend sanctions.

However, many Iranian citizens are skeptical about the ongoing negotiations with the U.S. and their potential impact. Al Jazeera reported on the 2nd that an academic from Tehran University, Kadhoudai, said: “People tend to value what actually happens rather than verbal statements. Based on years of accumulated experience, we know that reaching an agreement with the U.S. does not guarantee the lifting of sanctions, nor does it ensure that the national economic situation will improve.”        

From the U.S. side, Vice President Vance stated that the indirect technical talks held in Qatar between the U.S. and Iran were progressing smoothly, and discussions regarding nuclear issues are about to begin. However, he could not guarantee that Washington would not resume full military operations before the deadline next month, but currently, Trump has instructed officials to reach an agreement. Vance stated that this “ultimately depends on what Iran will actually do.”