DOHA, June 29 — Iranian and American technical teams are expected to meet in the Qatari capital in the coming days to work on implementing an interim peace deal, a source told Reuters on Monday. The talks come after tit-for-tat strikes over the weekend threatened to derail the fragile accord. Mediators have established communications channels to de-escalate any incidents, the source, who has knowledge of the discussions, said.
Technical talks are set to continue. However, a senior Iranian official was reported as saying technical meetings were not confirmed.
The US and Iran signed a 14-point Memorandum of Understanding on June 17 aimed at ending four months of conflict. Under that agreement, both sides agreed to cease hostilities and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas typically transits. Closure of the waterway sent oil prices soaring above $100 a barrel.
That triggered a renewed spike in global inflation and created a political headache for US President Donald Trump by pushing up prices at the pump months before midterm elections. The accord paves the way for 60 days of more in-depth talks on thornier issues, including Iran’s nuclear program.
Both sides have given conflicting accounts as to what was agreed. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Monday that $6 billion out of $12 billion of assets frozen in Qatar would be released following the accord and returned to Iran, Iranian state media reported. He added that the recent agreement had lifted sanctions on Iran’s oil and petrochemical sectors, describing it as “a great victory for the Iranian people.” A US official also told Reuters on Sunday that the two sides had agreed to stop the hostilities.
The encouraging part for observers watching this closely is that both sides appear to have kept the core diplomatic channel open, even after weekend strikes that could have easily scuttled the entire process. Technical talks are slated to continue on all areas of the agreement, the source said. Patients of this fragile diplomatic process should understand that the next 60 days will be critical.
The interim deal buys time, but the underlying condition — deep mistrust between Washington and Tehran — remains serious. Early findings suggest the framework can hold, but only if both parties show restraint.
What comes next is anyone’s guess. The Doha meetings will test whether the technical teams can translate the 14-point memorandum into concrete steps. For now, the waterway remains a flashpoint, oil markets remain jittery, and the clock is ticking toward more difficult negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program.
Talk to your doctor — or in this case, watch the mediators. They are the ones who will tell us whether this patient is healing or headed for another crisis.
