Doha

Qatar on Tuesday clarified that US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Senior Adviser to US President Jared Kushner are in Doha to meet Qatari officials and mediators, and are not engaged in direct negotiations with Iranian representatives.

Addressing a weekly media briefing, Qatar's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Mohammed Al-Ansari said the discussions form part of wider regional mediation efforts, including matters related to Iran.

"The US envoys Mr Steve Witkoff and Mr Jared Kushner are here in Doha to meet with the mediators and Qatari officials, and the talks will cover a range of regional issues, including negotiations concerning Iran," Al-Ansari said, adding that they "are not here for direct negotiations with the Iranians."

He explained that the current phase of engagement is being conducted at the technical level following the conclusion of the initial round of discussions under a 14-point memorandum of understanding aimed at easing tensions between the United States and Iran in West Asia. Under the framework, both sides had agreed to establish a High-Level Committee and prepare a roadmap for a final agreement within 60 days.

According to Al-Ansari, technical teams continue to travel between Doha and other locations to address implementation-related issues.

"The technical teams are the ones coming in and out of Doha and other locations. They are working with the mediators to move these technical issues forward," he said.

Reiterating that the current engagement is not political in nature, he said no senior-level delegation is expected to visit Doha at this stage.

"It is the technical delegation that comes and goes from Doha based on the progress of the negotiations, and there is no high-level delegation currently planned to visit Doha," Al-Ansari said.

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On the issue of Iranian financial assets, the spokesperson said the USD 6 billion in frozen Iranian funds has not yet been transferred to Tehran. He added that any release of the funds would depend on the progress made in the ongoing negotiations, with financial arrangements remaining tied to diplomatic developments.