Iran: ‘Indirect talks with the US on the Strait of Hormuz to take place tomorrow’

The IDF and the Shin Bet have announced the killing of an Islamic Jihad terrorist believed to be the leader of a cell that infiltrated Israel during the massacre on 7 October and who, during the war, is alleged to have been involved in the taking of hostages. The strike took place on Sunday in the south of the Gaza Strip, targeting Talal Jaber Mohammad Abd al-Aal, who had also held various positions within the Islamic Jihad terrorist organisation. Prior to the attack, the IDF states that it took measures to minimise harm to civilians, including the use of precision munitions and aerial surveillance.

The six billion dollars’ worth of assets frozen in Qatar – which were due to be released under the memorandum of understanding signed by Iran and the United States – have not yet been transferred to Tehran. This was announced by the spokesperson for Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Majed al-Ansari, as reported by al-Jazeera. The news follows statements made yesterday by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who said that the recent agreement with the United States represented “a significant achievement and a great victory for the Iranian people” given that “sanctions on the oil and petrochemical sectors have been lifted” and “six billion dollars of the 12 billion dollars of our funds frozen in Qatar will be released and returned to the country”.

“We do not trust the enemy and we are ready to take action. Without a doubt, in the event of a breach of the ceasefire provisions, we will take the appropriate and necessary measures and responses.” This was stated by the acting Minister of Defence and Logistics of the Iranian Armed Forces, Seyed Majid Ebnolreza, during a telephone conversation with Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs, Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. This was reported by the Iranian news agency Tasnim. “Relations between Tehran and Washington are rooted in decades of mistrust and repeated hostile behaviour,” added Ebnolreza. Highlighting the importance of the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz to global trade, the minister stated: “This region should not be exploited by non-regional countries, and the presence of foreign forces not only fails to create security but also increases misunderstandings, mistrust and insecurity.” The Iranian minister emphasised Tehran’s willingness to expand defence cooperation with neighbouring countries, particularly Qatar: “We can discuss the development of regional security mechanisms, and the more military and defence cooperation between the two countries increases, the more mutual trust and collective security in the region will be strengthened.”

The EU Special Representative for the Gulf, Luigi Di Maio, is in Doha today, where he met with Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. According to reports, the meeting forms part of European initiatives aimed at supporting Qatar’s mediation efforts between the United States and Iran on the nuclear issue and takes on “particular significance” in light of the presence in Doha of a US delegation comprising Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, who are due to hold talks with Prime Minister Al Thani as part of the same diplomatic effort.

- “The French President, Emmanuel Macron, has stated that he will cooperate on mine clearance in the Strait of Hormuz in coordination with his partners. Under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, mine clearance is the exclusive responsibility of Iran and no other country; in principle, we do not authorise such an operation.” This was written in a post on X by the Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister, Kazem Gharibabadi. “The situation is delicate and complex. We strongly urge France not to complicate it further with its provocations,” added the Iranian deputy minister.

The agreement between the United States and Iran to cease mutual attacks and continue negotiations is an important step and opens up a diplomatic avenue in a situation that remains fragile. This was stated by the German Foreign Ministry in a post on X.

“The agreement between the US and Iran to cease mutual attacks and continue negotiations is an important step and opens up the possibility of diplomacy in a situation that remains fragile,” the ministry wrote.

The Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, and his French counterpart, Jean-Noël Barrot, discussed the latest developments in the region and the implementation of the memorandum of understanding signed between Iran and the United States during a telephone conversation late on Monday evening. This was reported by the Mehr news agency, which stated that the two ministers reviewed the status of the agreement and the process aimed at ending the war with the US and Israel. No further details regarding the content of the conversation were released.

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CNN reported this morning that Steve Witkoff is on his way to Qatar. However, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baqaei, stated yesterday that a delegation of Iranian experts will travel to Doha this week, but categorically denied that any meeting with the Americans was planned. “We have not yet entered the phase of negotiating a final agreement,” he said, adding that “in the coming days we will not be holding any negotiation meetings with our US counterparts at any level”. The preliminary agreement between the nations to end the conflict and reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz has been repeatedly put to the test by clashes, but has also been hampered by contradictory statements from the parties involved. Shortly after Trump’s post on Truth yesterday, in which he announced the meeting in Doha with Iran, his spokesperson told Fox News that the US envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s adviser and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, “will fly to Doha this week for high-level meetings”. US President Donald Trump claimed that “Iran has requested a meeting today in Qatar”, despite Tehran denying that any direct negotiations with Washington were planned regarding the agreement aimed at ending the war in the Middle East. Both Washington and Tehran have stated that they have sent teams to the Gulf state, but have issued conflicting statements on most other details, including the timing and purpose of the trip.

Qatar’s Minister of State for Defence Affairs, Saud al Thani, and Iran’s acting Defence Minister, Majid Ebn Reza, discussed the joint coordination of actions in the context of the conflict in the region. This was reported by the Qatari Ministry of Defence.

“His Excellency Sheikh Saud bin Abdulrahman bin Hassan al-Thani, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs, received a telephone call on Monday evening from His Excellency Majid Ebn Reza, Acting Minister of Defence of the Islamic Republic of Iran”, the ministry wrote on X.

The United States and Iran have separately announced that they are sending delegations to Qatar this week, although Tehran insists it has not agreed to any meeting with the United States “at any level”. These announcements, made on Monday, follow the attacks over the weekend in the Persian Gulf, which have severely strained attempts to negotiate an end to the conflict. US President Donald Trump has sought to safeguard a fragile interim agreement whilst hostilities in the Strait of Hormuz have intensified in recent days. After four days of reciprocal attacks, both sides appeared to have suspended hostilities on Monday. A spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry stated that the delegation travelling to Qatar intends to discuss the terms of the agreement without the involvement of the United States.

Two members of the Revolutionary Guards were killed and two others injured in an armed terrorist attack in the border town of Paveh, in western Iran. This was reported by Al-Jazeera, citing the Iranian news agency Tasnim

“The agreement is a bilateral matter. If the US side honours the agreement, we will fulfil our commitments.” This was stated by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. “Our approach in the face of unreasonable boasts and baseless threats is to base our decisions on rationality and human dignity,” he continued, “and to defend ourselves firmly and without hesitation when the time comes to act.”

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer discussed Ukraine, the Strait of Hormuz and the UK’s defence budget with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte ahead of the Alliance’s summit. This was reported by the British Prime Minister’s office.

“The Prime Minister received NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte at Downing Street. They discussed the strong international support for Ukraine and the expected outcomes of the forthcoming NATO summit in Ankara,” a statement said.