Iran to Send Experts to Qatar to Discuss US Memorandum

A delegation of Iranian experts will travel to Doha, Qatar, later this week to discuss the implementation of the memorandum of understanding that Tehran signed with the United States earlier this month, AFP reported.

“A delegation of experts from the Islamic Republic of Iran will travel to Doha later this week", Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said. He confirmed that the purpose of the visit is to discuss implementation of the memorandum.

“We have not yet entered the phase of negotiations on a final agreement", Baghaei said, adding that “in the coming days, we will not have any negotiations with the American side at any level".

The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman thus rejected a claim by US President Donald Trump, who wrote on Truth Social earlier that Iran had requested a meeting with the US to be held in Qatar on Tuesday. The news website Axios first reported the planned meeting between US and Iranian officials on Sunday, citing US officials. CNN later confirmed the report.

Even before Trump's post, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said that no technical working group meetings were scheduled for this week.

The memorandum of understanding between Iran and the US is intended to pave the way for negotiations on a final peace agreement.

Despite the signing of the memorandum, the US military struck Iran on Friday in response to a drone attack on a merchant vessel in the Strait of Hormuz that Washington blamed on Tehran. Iran subsequently launched retaliatory strikes against targets in Bahrain and Kuwait.

On Sunday, US media, citing senior US officials, reported that both sides had agreed to halt further attacks.

The first round of talks between the US and Iran took place in Switzerland on 21 June. After the talks concluded, Pakistani mediators announced that both sides had agreed on a roadmap aimed at reaching a final agreement within 60 days.

(tasr, AFP)