US negotiators Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff had positive discussions with regional leaders in Qatar and technical talks with Iran are moving ahead, according to a senior administration official, as the countries seek to ease tensions in the wake of recent attacks that imperiled an already fragile ceasefire.
The two Americans were in Doha as part of ongoing indirect talks between the US and Iran intended to forge a longer-term peace deal. An interim agreement signed earlier this month opened the door to a 60-day negotiating period, but those efforts faced a setback in recent days after a series of clashes over the Strait of Hormuz.
Witkoff and Kushner had returned to Doha for the discussions after the US and Iran agreed to halt their renewed attacks. Still, the uncertainty hanging over their discussions highlighted the delicate nature of the talks and the complicated path ahead for both Washington and Tehran as they look to broker a broader accord.
Qatari officials had downplayed expectations for the new negotiations, saying that the top envoys for President Donald Trump would not meet directly with their Iranian counterparts. The senior administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to provide an update on the discussions, said progress continued to be made in the separate technical talks, which are being carried out by lower-level representatives.
The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed US officials, reported Tuesday evening that Trump had decided against resuming a broad military campaign, and told his staff that he didn’t mind if the negotiations extended beyond the Aug. 18 deadline.
Among the major issues still unresolved were the release of billions of dollars in Iranian assets and the future management of the strait, which before the war handled the flow of about a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supplies.
Iran has insisted that it will have some degree of control over maritime traffic through the waterway and has signaled that some ships may have to pay fees to transit, raising the stakes in negotiations.
Any suggestion of imposing a fee has been strongly opposed by the US, Europe and most Gulf Arab states. The interim agreement says Iran would not charge tolls for 60 days but leaves open the possibility ships may be forced to pay some fees after that point.
Oil edged higher in early Asia trading after declining Tuesday on hopes the ceasefire would hold. The war, which largely shuttered the strait, brought a global energy shock, raising oil and gas prices and rattling markets which have been eager for any signs that traffic will quickly resume to pre-war levels.
The senior US official said ships were continuing to transit the strait at higher levels.