Iran denies direct talks with US in Qatar

Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran's deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs, stated that the Iranian delegation began talks on Wednesday morning with the Qatari prime minister and foreign minister, followed by two meetings involving Iran, Qatar, and Pakistan. The first meeting of the monitoring group overseeing implementation of the memorandum of understanding was also held, with senior negotiators from the three countries participating.

Gharibabadi said the Iranian team raised and reviewed U.S. violations of Article 1 of the memorandum, which requires a halt to the war on all fronts, including in Lebanon. It also flagged published reports of U.S. actions to reinforce equipment and troops in the region, and the threatening and interventionist statements by American officials. "The Iranian delegation stressed that the commitments of the memorandum of understanding are an integrated whole and are not viewed in separation from one another," he said.

It was decided that an urgent communication channel for the monitoring group would be established by Thursday, and that deficiencies in the MoU's implementation would be formally and documentedly reported, discussed, and decided upon. On the sidelines, Iranian officials met with Qatari counterparts, including from the central bank, to discuss spending of part of the initial $6 billion in released funds. It was agreed that goods required by Iran would be purchased and delivered according to the country's stated needs.

The Doha round of talks follows renewed strains on the ceasefire, with the IRGC striking U.S. military targets in Kuwait and Bahrain on Sunday in retaliation for American attacks on Iranian coastal posts. Israel has also continued attacks in southern Lebanon despite the truce, with multiple villages targeted overnight Tuesday. According to Mehr News, the Iranian delegation emphasized that no direct talks with the US took place in Qatar.