United States President Donald Trump has said Iran requested fresh talks with Washington following days of military exchanges around the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump said the proposed meeting would take place on Tuesday in Doha, Qatar.
“IRAN HAS REQUESTED A MEETING. IT WILL TAKE PLACE TOMORROW IN DOHA!” The US President wrote on Truth Social on Monday (today).
Tehran has, however, not confirmed the meeting.
Naijaonpoint reports that hours before Trump’s announcement, a senior Iranian official denied reports that technical discussions with the United States had been scheduled in Doha.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister and senior negotiator, Kazem Gharibabadi, said consultations with Qatar were still ongoing.
He, however, added that media reports suggesting that working groups had been scheduled for technical talks in Doha were not confirmed.
The conflicting statements came after a weekend of renewed hostilities between both countries, raising fresh concerns over the fate of a fragile interim peace arrangement.
The latest tension centred on the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway for global oil shipments.
Iran has insisted that it retains control over the strait under the interim agreement reached with Washington.
However, efforts to reopen the route without Iranian oversight reportedly angered Tehran and triggered fresh attacks.
Reports said Iran attacked ships moving through the strait, while the US later carried out strikes on targets inside Iran in response to what Washington described as continued aggression against commercial shipping.
Bahrain and Kuwait were also reportedly attacked by Iran early Sunday, hours after US strikes on Iranian targets.
Tehran had warned that negotiations could collapse completely if Washington continued its military attacks.
Trump also issued a warning over the weekend, saying there could come a point when the US would no longer be able to remain reasonable and might be forced to “militarily complete the job.”
Despite the threats, reports later suggested that both sides had agreed to pause strikes and continue talks aimed at saving the interim deal.
A source familiar with the negotiations said communication channels had been created to prevent further escalation, while technical teams were expected to continue discussions on the implementation of the agreement.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian had praised the interim agreement, describing it as a major victory for the Iranian people.
He said the deal would lead to the release of $6 billion in frozen Iranian assets held by Qatar.
The US and Iran have been locked in a tense dispute over the terms of the peace arrangement, including control of the Strait of Hormuz and the unfreezing of Iranian assets.
The latest diplomatic confusion has, however, left uncertainty over whether Tuesday’s meeting in Doha will hold as announced by Trump.
