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Iran and the United States concluded a round of indirect talks Wednesday with no sign they had made headway toward a lasting peace, focusing instead on issues that they had supposedly resolved two weeks ago.
Sources said negotiators for the two countries spent two days in Doha discussing maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz and financial incentives for Iran, two pillars of the initial agreement they signed in June, rather than more difficult topics that framework was supposed to tee up.
In Washington, U.S. President Donald Trump said the two sides were making progress on possible limits to Iran’s nuclear program — the main reason he launched the war in February. “The denuclearization of Iran is moving along well,” he told reporters. “They’ve had very good meetings, and we’ll see.”
But sources said the nuclear program did not come up in the talks, which were technical in nature.
U.S. Vice-President JD Vance said that would be addressed later. “Obviously, we’re worried about the nuclear issue, we’re going to start talking about that,” he told reporters.
Vance said he could not guarantee that Washington would avoid a return to full combat operations before next month’s deadline. For now, however, Trump has directed officials to reach a deal, he said.
“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.”
Talks focus on shipping and strait for now
Vance said the technical talks in Doha were focused on commercial shipping in the strait and would later turn to Tehran’s nuclear capabilities.
“It’s still pretty early, but talks are going well,” he said.
The two sides did not meet face to face, instead interacting separately with mediators from Qatar and Pakistan.
Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and top U.S. envoy, Steve Witkoff, did not attend the sessions despite being dispatched to the region for what the White House had billed as “high-level” talks, according to a source who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The leader of Iran’s delegation, deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi, said talks concluded. Neither side said whether they had managed to bridge their differences.
Iran is determined to secure international recognition of its control over the key oil-shipping waterway and its ability to levy fees on ships entering or leaving the Gulf, even if it must do so by force, according to two senior Iranian sources.
Traffic has partially resumed through the strait, which handled one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas trade before the war.
Trump, who has said the removal of Iran’s highly enriched uranium is a top priority, told reporters Wednesday that “the denuclearization of Iran is moving along well.” He did not provide details.
Asked about the possibility of returning to all-out war with Iran, Trump added: “Well, I think they’ve come a long way. We hit them very hard last week. I think they’re fine.”
The ceasefire between Iran and the U.S. was made more fragile after they exchanged attacks and threats over the weekend, but some experts say a shaky agreement is still better than nothing.
Iran has stated publicly that its priorities include reaching an agreement on the management of the strait and securing the release of $6 billion US in Iranian frozen assets. The Iranian official said the current discussions would focus on those two issues.
The stated priority of the U.S. is to ensure the free flow of traffic through the strait, the source with knowledge of the talks said.
Iranian state media said on Wednesday that a foreign container ship had run aground in the strait after entering shallow waters outside the shipping route designated by Iranian authorities.
“Hormuz continues to reopen but it’s patchy, unpredictable, and not fully transparent,” said Vandana Hari, founder of oil market analysis provider Vanda Insights.
Intensive talks on Lebanon
The war triggered Iranian attacks on Gulf states hosting U.S. military bases, killed thousands of people — mainly in Iran and Lebanon — and pushed up oil and fuel prices.
Trump faces domestic pressure to contain the war’s economic fallout before the midterm elections in November. He also faced criticism from members of his own party who say the interim deal leaves U.S. objectives unmet.
In Iran, the theocratic leadership survived the war but faces domestic anger over a shattered economy.
The interim agreement between the U.S. and Iran also calls for an end to the conflict in Lebanon.
The U.S. has supported a separate track of talks between Israel and the Lebanese government. Those negotiations produced a framework security agreement that Hezbollah has dismissed and analysts warn could entrench Israel’s occupation of southern Lebanon.