WASHINGTON — The United States said Monday that senior officials will hold high-level talks with Iran in Doha on Tuesday, with President Donald Trump’s top envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner expected to participate while technical negotiations continue on the sidelines.
President Trump announced the planned meeting in a social media post, saying Iran had requested the talks and that they would take place in the Qatari capital. He did not provide additional details about the agenda or the participants.
Shortly afterward, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed during an appearance on Fox News that Witkoff and Kushner would travel to Doha for the discussions.
“Special Envoy Witkoff and Jared Kushner will be flying to Doha for high-level meetings this week, as we continue to discuss the memorandum of understanding. On the sidelines of those high-level talks will be the technical talks,” Leavitt said.
She added that Washington believes it is complying with the ceasefire while warning that any further attacks would prompt a response.
“As far as we’re concerned, we’re holding up our end of the ceasefire. Violence will be met with violence,” Leavitt said.
According to the information released by U.S. officials, the negotiations are linked to a 14-point memorandum of understanding signed on June 17 that aims to end four months of conflict between the United States and Iran. The framework reportedly includes commitments to halt hostilities and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a critical maritime corridor through which roughly one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments typically pass.
The diplomatic process, however, has faced renewed uncertainty after a series of exchanges over the weekend. Both Washington and Tehran have accused each other of violating the interim ceasefire following several days of retaliatory military action that began after an Iranian projectile struck a commercial cargo vessel in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday.
Leavitt acknowledged the recent escalation while expressing hope that diplomacy would continue.
“There were attacks on commercial vessels that the United States of America, directed by the president, responded to, and that will continue to happen, but we hope we don’t see that. The president obviously wants to see the peace process play out,” she said.
The planned Doha meeting is expected to combine political-level discussions with technical negotiations as both sides seek to stabilize the ceasefire and continue work on the broader framework outlined in the memorandum.
