Qatar says Iran-US talks ongoing, warns of wider regional war

Qatar's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said on Monday that negotiations related to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) between Iran and the United States are ongoing, with engagement from both parties. He made the remarks at the Global Security Forum in Doha, according to Mehr News.

"On the negotiations of the JCPOA, they are ongoing, we are seeing engagement from both parties," al-Ansari said. He stressed the importance of keeping the talks confidential, adding that the absence of public reporting on the process should be read as a sign that mediation efforts are proceeding as intended. "The fact that we're not hearing about it is a good sign that we're doing our job properly," he said.

Alongside his comments on the negotiations, al-Ansari warned of the risk of a wider regional war, according to the report. He did not provide further details on the warning in the remarks cited.

Qatar has for years served as a venue and intermediary for indirect contacts between Tehran and Washington, and Doha has hosted several rounds of talks on regional and nuclear-related issues. The JCPOA, agreed in 2015, placed limits on Iran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief; the agreement has been in dispute since the United States withdrew from it in 2018.

The Global Security Forum in Doha brings together officials and analysts to discuss regional security matters. Al-Ansari's remarks were reported by Mehr News.