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President Trump says Iran has requested a meeting in Doha on Tuesday to discuss the shaky ceasefire between the two countries, though Iran is denying it plans any direct talks with the US.
Some shit you should know before you dig in: Back on June 17, the US and Iran agreed to a 14-point memorandum of understanding meant to wrap up four months of war. The deal had both countries agreeing to stop the fighting and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the critical waterway that carries about a fifth of the world’s oil. But the fragile deal nearly came apart over the weekend after a string of tit-for-tat attacks (Iran hit two cargo ships in the strait, the US retaliated with strikes on Iranian targets, and Iran fired missiles at Bahrain and Kuwait). By Sunday night both sides had agreed to “stand down for now” and let vessels move freely, with technical talks set to continue on all areas of the MOU.
What’s going on now: Trump announced the meeting Monday morning on Truth Social, saying Iran asked for it. “IRAN HAS REQUESTED A MEETING. IT WILL TAKE PLACE TOMORROW IN DOHA!” he wrote. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt backed that up, saying special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner are headed to Qatar for “high-level meetings,” with technical talks happening on the sidelines.
Leavitt made clear the administration is keeping its military option on the table even as it pushes for a deal. “As far as we’re concerned, we’re holding up our end of the ceasefire. Violence will be met with violence,” she said.
Despite this, Iran is telling a different story. Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei dismissed the idea of any face-to-face with the Americans, saying “over the coming days, we will not have any negotiation meetings with the US side at any level” and stressing the two countries haven’t reached the stage of negotiating a final agreement. Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Iran would send a team of experts to Doha over the next two days, but only to press (through Qatari mediators) for the US to follow through on its commitments under the MOU, not to meet US officials directly.
This all comes as Iran has complained about the slow pace of the ceasefire, including implementation in southern Lebanon, the release of funds, and a dispute over Article 5 of the MOU. Iranian officials interpret it as giving Tehran authority to organize traffic through the Strait of Hormuz during the 60-day negotiating window, while the US believes Iran should step aside and let ships pass.
Iran is also pissed over new shipping routes opened near the Omani side of the strait, which it sees as a violation carried out without its coordination.






