US, Iran make 'positive progress' in Doha talks, next round set after Iranian leader's funeral

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — Indirect negotiations between the United States and Iran in Qatar have made "positive progress," Doha said on Wednesday, with both sides agreeing to resume talks after the funeral ceremonies for Iran's late supreme leader, offering fresh momentum to diplomatic efforts aimed at consolidating a fragile ceasefire and advancing a broader settlement.

Qatar's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Majed Al Ansari, said Qatari and Pakistani mediators held separate meetings with U.S. and Iranian negotiators in Doha that built on agreements reached at last month's Lake Lucerne Summit in Switzerland.

"Qatar & Pakistan mediators concluded separate meetings with the US & Iranian negotiators in Doha today, with positive progress made on issues related to the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, building on the outcomes of the Lake Lucerne Summit," Al Ansari wrote on X.

He added that both sides had agreed to continue discussions, with the next round to be held "at the earliest possible time" following the funeral processions of Iran's former supreme leader.

The latest talks focused on implementing the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, a framework agreement brokered by Qatar and Pakistan that seeks to end months of regional conflict sparked by U.S.-Israeli military strikes on Iran in late February.

The memorandum includes a 60-day ceasefire, the reopening of the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping, and a roadmap toward a comprehensive agreement addressing both the conflict and Iran's nuclear program.

Earlier on Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump expressed optimism about the negotiations, saying diplomacy was progressing despite recent military exchanges that had threatened to derail the process.

"As far as things are going, the denuclearization of Iran is moving along well," Trump told reporters before departing aboard Air Force One.

"We hit them very hard... but we're getting along very well," he added, referring to recent U.S. military operations against Iranian targets.

Iran's delegation, led by Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, described the discussions as constructive. Gharibabadi said the two sides agreed to establish a communication mechanism by Thursday to document and report any violations of the ceasefire memorandum.

He also said negotiators discussed the release of frozen Iranian assets, a longstanding demand by Tehran. According to Gharibabadi, officials reviewed the use of an initial $6 billion in funds and agreed that essential goods for Iran would be purchased and made available.

Iran maintained its position that the Doha negotiations remained indirect. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei had previously rejected reports of direct U.S.-Iran talks, insisting Tehran had "no plans for negotiations with the American side at any level" during the current phase.

According to diplomatic sources, the Doha meetings were conducted at a technical level and aimed at translating the political commitments reached in Lucerne into practical implementation.

Senior U.S. envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff did not participate directly in the negotiations. Instead, they met separately with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and later held talks with Qatar's Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, on the broader U.S.-Iran dialogue and regional developments, including the situation in Lebanon.

Analysts cautioned that the negotiations remain in an early and delicate stage. Anna Jacobs, a non-resident fellow at the Arab Gulf States Institute, said continued engagement following last week's military confrontation was itself an encouraging sign.

"The overall positive message is that they are continuing to engage after the clashes last week," she said.

The Doha negotiations come after a series of military incidents that tested the newly signed ceasefire. Iran targeted a commercial vessel it said had deviated from its approved route through the Strait of Hormuz, prompting U.S. Central Command to strike 10 Iranian military targets.

Tehran subsequently launched attacks on U.S. military facilities in Kuwait and Bahrain, actions that drew condemnation from both Gulf states.

Iran's chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, acknowledged this week that implementing any ceasefire following a conflict of such scale would inevitably involve disputes and security incidents.

He said Iran's delegation would prioritize implementation of provisions concerning navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and efforts to address the conflict in Lebanon.

Despite the tensions, military exchanges have subsided in recent days, helping ease concerns in global energy markets. Oil prices have declined as investors welcomed the continuation of U.S.-Iran diplomacy.

The talks also carry broader regional significance. Iran has insisted that any comprehensive settlement should include an end to the conflict in Lebanon and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from areas they continue to occupy in southern Lebanon, while the relative calm between Israel and Hezbollah in recent days has raised cautious hopes that diplomatic progress with Iran could contribute to wider regional de-escalation.