US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, arrived in Doha on Tuesday for talks with Qatari mediators on the future of negotiations with Iran, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said.
Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said no high-level meeting was currently scheduled between US and Iranian officials, adding that Witkoff and Kushner would not hold direct talks with Iranian representatives.
Speaking to Qatari media, al-Ansari said the release of $6 billion out of $12 billion in frozen Iranian funds would be agreed between Washington and Tehran, stressing that the money had not yet been transferred to Iran.
He said the funds issue remained tied to the progress of negotiations between the two sides.
Al-Ansari added that technical-level contacts between Washington and Tehran had not stopped, with mediators continuing efforts to facilitate discussions.
On the Strait of Hormuz, he said the mechanism for reopening the waterway and restoring maritime traffic remained “extremely important.”
Qatar is coordinating with Oman to secure safe passage for ships through the strait, he said, adding that Doha’s priority was to ensure safe transit and remove mines.
“Freedom of navigation is a guaranteed right for all Gulf states, and its closure or any threat to its safety cannot be accepted,” al-Ansari said.
He added that current diplomatic efforts were focused on restoring regional security and peace to prewar levels, noting that a direct de-escalation hotline linked to the Strait of Hormuz had been used to contain recent confrontations between the US and Iran.
A memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran entered into force on June 18 under Pakistani mediation after being electronically signed by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and US President Donald Trump.
The agreement lays out a framework for ending hostilities and addressing outstanding issues through negotiations, including sanctions relief, Iran’s nuclear program, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and broader regional security arrangements.
A White House official told CNN that Witkoff and Kushner were expected to meet Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani and other mediators in Doha.
The official said US and Iranian delegations were expected to take part separately on Wednesday in technical talks with mediators from Qatar and Pakistan.
Trump said Monday that Iran had requested a meeting and that talks would take place Tuesday in Doha.
“Iran requested a meeting. It will take place tomorrow in Doha,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt later told Fox News that Witkoff and Kushner would travel to Qatar to discuss the memorandum of understanding, adding that high-level discussions were expected to take place on the sidelines of technical negotiations.
Trump later told reporters at the White House that the Doha meeting could prove significant.
“The meeting in Doha is going to be perhaps important, perhaps not. We’re going to find out,” he said.
Iran, however, denied that negotiations with the US were scheduled. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Tehran’s priority remained implementing the memorandum of understanding to end the war.