Iran to open ‘communication channel’ on MoU with US after talks in Qatar

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi says part of $6bn in frozen assets would be used to buy goods Tehran needs.

Tehran says it will establish a “communication channel” with Washington to report breaches of the memorandum of understanding (MoU), signed between them two weeks ago, to end the US-Israel war on Iran.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi made the announcement after indirect technical talks between Iran and the US were held in Qatar on Wednesday, as the two sides sought to advance their negotiations to ease tensions following recent exchanges of fire.

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Gharibabadi also said that part of the $6bn in frozen Iranian assets would be used to buy goods that Tehran requires. US President Donald Trump has said in the past that the funds would be used by Iran to buy only US products.

“During the meetings with Qatari officials, including the Central Bank, a number of issues related to the expenditure of part of the initial $6bn were reviewed,” Gharibabadi said.

“It was agreed that, based on the needs communicated by our country, the required goods would be purchased and made available to Iran.”

Meanwhile, mediators from Qatar and Pakistan held separate meetings in Doha on Wednesday with US and Iranian negotiators, reporting “positive progress” in discussions tied to the MoU, Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari said.

“The parties agreed to continue discussions over the coming period, with the next meeting to be scheduled at the earliest possible time following the funeral processions of the former Iranian Supreme Leader,” he said in a post on X.

The US-Iran indirect talks in the Qatari capital were held to discuss the flow of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and securing the ceasefire amid breaches since the MoU was signed last month.

The memorandum, brokered by Qatar and Pakistan, includes a 60-day ceasefire, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and a timeframe for a final deal to permanently end the war and reach an agreement on Iran’s nuclear programme.

However, the US and Iran have gone back and forth over the meaning of the interim MoU, leading to tit-for-tat military strikes over the past week, while traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has partially resumed.

In Doha on Wednesday, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani met US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and reaffirmed Qatar’s continued mediation efforts, alongside Pakistan, to end the war in the Middle East.

Trump also hailed the progress made during the indirect talks, saying that there had been “very good meetings” in Doha.

“As far as things are going, the denuclearisation of Iran is moving along well,” Trump told reporters as he prepared to make his maiden journey on his new Air Force One plane gifted to him by Qatar.

“We hit them [Iran] very hard … but we’re getting along very well.”

US Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday said he could not guarantee that Washington would not return to combat before next month’s MoU deadline.

“I can’t commit to anything, because, obviously, it depends on what the Iranians are ultimately going to do,” he told reporters on a visit to Virginia Beach, Virginia. “What I can commit to is: The president’s not going to send our military back in unless he has to, unless there’s a clearly defined purpose for it.”

Meanwhile, oil prices fell roughly 2 percent on Wednesday to their lowest levels since February as optimism over the US-Iran talks quelled supply concerns following Trump’s comments.