Parties agree to continue discussions in coming period, with next round of talks to be scheduled
Pakistan and Qatar facilitated separate meetings between United States and Iranian negotiators in Doha on Thursday, with both sides reporting positive progress on issues linked to the Islamabad memorandum of understanding (MoU), according to an official statement.
A statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on X said Qatari and Pakistani mediators held separate engagements with the US and Iranian negotiating teams in the Qatari capital.
The statement said the discussions registered “positive progress” on matters related to the Islamabad MoU, building on understandings reached during the Lake Lucerne Summit.
It added that the parties had agreed to continue discussions in the coming period, with the next round of talks to be scheduled at the earliest possible opportunity following the funeral processions of the former Iranian supreme leader.
The foreign ministry did not disclose details of the issues discussed or elaborate on the contents of the Islamabad MoU. It also did not identify the members of the negotiating teams or specify a date for the next meeting.
The meetings come as US Vice President JD Vance said discussions between the US and Iran were going well as they held indirect technical talks in Qatar about the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, adding Washington would not return to full combat unless necessary.
The talks are based on a 14-point interim accord signed last month that was meant to halt the war that began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran in February and reopen the strait, while setting up 60 days of negotiations for a permanent peace deal.
However, the US and Iran have sparred publicly over the meaning of the interim pact, leading to tit-for-tat military strikes over the past week and leaving little sign of progress on more complex issues, including on Iran’s nuclear programme.
Read: US, Iran talks conclude in Doha, focused on Strait of Hormuz
Vance said he could not guarantee that Washington would not return to full combat operations ahead of next month’s deadline but that for now President Donald Trump had directed officials to make a deal.
“I can’t commit to anything, because obviously it depends on what the Iranians are ultimately going to do,” he told reporters on a visit to Virginia Beach, Virginia. “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.”
In Doha, technical talks were focused on commercial shipping in the strait and would later turn to Tehran’s nuclear capabilities, Vance said, adding: “It’s still pretty early, but talks are going well.”
Iran is determined to win international recognition of its control over the key oil-shipping waterway and its ability to levy fees on ships entering or leaving the Gulf, even if it has to do so by force, according to two senior Iranian sources.
Traffic has partially resumed through the strait, which handled one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas trade before the war.
Trump, who has said removing Iran’s highly enriched uranium is a top priority, told reporters on Wednesday that “the denuclearization of Iran is moving along well”, without giving details.
Asked about the possibility of returning to all-out war with Iran, Trump added: “Well, I think they’ve come a long way. We hit them very hard last week. I think they’re fine.”
The indirect talks, mediated by Qatar and Pakistan, began on Tuesday night and were continuing on Wednesday, an Iranian official said.
They are structured as sessions between chief negotiators and specialists, a source with knowledge of the talks said, adding that Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and envoy Steve Witkoff met Qatar’s prime minister to lay groundwork for the talks but would not be attending.
Kushner and Witkoff later met Qatar’s emir to discuss US-Iran negotiations and developments in Lebanon, where a parallel conflict between Israel and Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah erupted in early March.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi headed a delegation of representatives from Iran’s foreign ministry, central bank and agriculture ministry, meeting Qatar’s prime minister and holding talks with mediators.
Iran has stated publicly its priorities include agreeing on management of the strait and the release of $6 billion in Iranian frozen assets, and the Iranian official said the current discussions would focus on those two issues.
The stated priority of the US is to ensure the free flow of traffic through the strait, the source with knowledge of the talks said.
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