Washington – (AFP): US President Donald Trump said that the Iranian authorities have requested a meeting to be held today, Tuesday, in Doha, hours after Tehran denied information in this regard.
This announcement from Trump came at a time when the United States and Iran agreed to stop the mutual attacks that caused a new escalation in the Gulf in recent days, despite the signing of a memorandum of understanding between them, according to an American official.
The US President wrote on his “Truth Social” platform, “Iran has requested a meeting. It will be held tomorrow (Tuesday) in Doha.”
Shortly after that, White House spokeswoman Caroline Levitt said that envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner “will head to Doha to attend high-level meetings this week.”
A diplomat familiar with the negotiations confirmed to AFP that “technical teams will meet in the coming days,” adding that communication channels to contain the problems “are still working.”
But the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs previously denied holding any meeting, and described this information as incorrect.
Maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz witnessed a slowdown over the weekend, after an oil tanker was hit by a projectile on Saturday, in light of the exchange of strikes between the United States and Iran in recent days.
According to data from the Kpler maritime tracking company, 29 ships carrying raw materials crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday and 12 on Sunday. This represents a noticeable decline compared to the days that followed the signing of the memorandum of understanding between Tehran and Washington on June 15.
Iran has been stressing for weeks that there is no return to the situation that existed before the war in the Strait of Hormuz, where crossing was free, and has also threatened ships that might try to use unapproved routes.
The United States accused Iran of targeting two ships last week, and responded by bombing Iranian territory, while Tehran launched attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait.
“Technical talks are scheduled to continue regarding all areas of the memorandum of understanding,” a US official said in an email to Agence France-Presse, adding that “both sides will stop (their attacks) for the time being, and ships can move freely” in and around the Strait of Hormuz. In recent days, both sides accused the other of violating the ceasefire, in a renewal of tensions that followed the signing of the memorandum of understanding between them on June 17.
