US Envoys Head to Doha for High-Stakes Iran Talks as Ceasefire Faces Fresh Strain
Washington— Senior US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will travel to Doha on Tuesday for high-level talks with Iranian officials aimed at preserving a fragile ceasefire and advancing negotiations under a recently signed memorandum of understanding, the White House said on Monday.
President Donald Trump announced in a social media post that Iran had requested the meeting, saying it would take place in the Qatari capital without providing further details.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later confirmed that Witkoff and Kushner would attend the discussions, while technical-level negotiations would continue on the sidelines.
“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 told Fox News.
Washington and Tehran signed a 14-point memorandum of understanding on June 17 aimed at ending four months of conflict. The agreement included commitments to halt hostilities and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic maritime route through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supplies normally pass.
The agreement has come under pressure following exchanges of strikes over the weekend after an Iranian projectile struck a commercial cargo vessel in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday. Both Washington and Tehran accused each other of violating the interim ceasefire.
Leavitt said the United States remained committed to the agreement while warning that any further attacks would draw a response.
“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 Doha meeting is expected to focus on implementing the memorandum of understanding and reducing tensions after the recent maritime incidents threatened to undermine the diplomatic process.
