US-Iran talks in Qatar show progress as sides agree hotline to report violations

Indirect talks between the United States and Iran in Qatar have shown progress, according to comments from US President Donald Trump and Iranian officials. The discussions were held in Doha at a lower level and were focused on implementing a memorandum of understanding linked to efforts to end the wider Middle East war. Iran said the talks concluded with agreement to establish a communication channel by Thursday to report and document violations of the deal.

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Trump said the negotiations were making progress and suggested diplomacy remained on track despite recent exchanges of fire. He told reporters before boarding Air Force One that the denuclearisation of Iran was moving along well, while also saying the United States had hit Iran very hard. Iran's deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, who led Tehran's delegation, said the sides had agreed to create the channel for recording violations of the memorandum.

Tehran also denied Trump's earlier claim that the talks would be direct, with its foreign ministry saying it had no plans for negotiations with the American side at any level in the coming days. The memorandum of understanding was mediated by Qatar and Pakistan and was sealed at a summit last month in Lucerne, Switzerland. It includes a 60-day ceasefire, the reopening of the blockaded Strait of Hormuz and a timetable for a final deal on the war and Iran's nuclear programme.

The Doha discussions were described as a step to build on the progress made at the Lake Lucerne summit. A diplomat familiar with the process said the talks were aimed at implementing the memorandum rather than reopening the broader political negotiations. The agreement matters because it touches several of the most sensitive issues in the region at once.

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The Strait of Hormuz is a critical shipping route for global energy supplies, and any reopening would have implications beyond the immediate conflict. The ceasefire and the nuclear timetable also make the talks relevant to regional security, sanctions pressure and the risk of further military escalation. The inclusion of a mechanism to report violations suggests both sides are trying to create a way to manage disputes before they derail the deal.

Gharibabadi said the discussions also covered frozen Iranian assets, which Tehran has demanded as part of any settlement. He said officials reviewed the use of part of an initial $6 billion and agreed that goods needed by Iran would be purchased and made available. The talks were held without US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff taking part in the technical session, according to the diplomat.

That suggests the process is still being handled through intermediaries and lower-level officials rather than through a direct political breakthrough. What remains unclear is whether the communication channel will be established on schedule and whether it will be used effectively if violations are reported. It is also not clear how far the sides are from a final deal on the war and Iran's nuclear programme.

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