Iran Rules Out Immediate Meetings With US as Doha Discussions Continue

Iran on Tuesday ruled out any meetings with the United States "in the next few days" at any level, even as technical discussions linked to the implementation of a 14-point memorandum of understanding (MoU) continue in Doha. Tehran and Doha both stressed that the ongoing engagements are not direct political negotiations between Iranian and US officials.

Tehran denies plans for imminent talks with Washington

Speaking at a press briefing, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said there are no scheduled meetings between Iranian and US representatives in the immediate future.

"Basically, we have no plans to meet with the American side at any level in the next few days," the spokesperson said.

Baghaei clarified that discussions taking place in Doha are focused on implementing provisions of the previously agreed memorandum of understanding and should not be viewed as fresh diplomatic negotiations with Washington.

"What will be done in Doha tomorrow is a discussion on the implementation of clauses of the memorandum of understanding, including the release of Iran's frozen assets, which is with the Qatari side," he said.

The Iranian spokesperson also reiterated that Tehran's commitments under the agreement are contingent on reciprocal action from other parties.

"We will implement our commitments as long as the other side implements its commitments," he said.

According to Baghaei, the memorandum clearly outlines the obligations of all parties involved, including responsibilities assigned to the United States under the framework.

Qatar says US envoys not engaged in direct negotiations with Iran

Earlier in the day, Qatar's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Mohammed Al-Ansari said US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Senior Adviser to US President Donald Trump, Jared Kushner, are currently in Doha for discussions with mediators and Qatari officials.

"The US envoys Mr Steve Witkoff and Mr Jared Kushner are here in Doha to meet with the mediators and Qatari officials, and the talks will be around all regional issues which are of concern, including negotiations with Iran," Al-Ansari said.

He emphasised, however, that the American officials are not participating in direct talks with Iranian representatives.

"They are not here for direct negotiations with the Iranians."

The clarification comes amid continued diplomatic efforts following recent tensions and exchanges between Iran and the United States linked to incidents in the Strait of Hormuz and broader regional security concerns.

Focus remains on technical issues and frozen Iranian assets

Al-Ansari said the current phase of engagement is centred on technical-level discussions rather than high-level political negotiations. The process follows the conclusion of an initial round of talks under the 14-point MoU, which earlier this month led to an agreement to establish a High-Level Committee and a roadmap toward a final agreement within 60 days in Switzerland.

"The technical teams are the ones coming in and out of Doha and other locations for this. So this reference is probably to the technical team that is involved in the talks with the mediators in pushing a lot of these technical issues forward," he said.

"It's not a high-level delegation as I stated earlier; it's the technical side of the negotiations," Al-Ansari added.

He noted that technical teams continue to move between Doha and other locations depending on the progress of discussions.

Addressing the issue of frozen Iranian assets, Al-Ansari said the USD 6 billion currently held abroad has not yet been transferred to Tehran.

The release of the funds, he said, would proceed "according to the advancement of negotiations", indicating that financial arrangements remain tied to the broader implementation process and future diplomatic progress.

(With inputs from ANI)