WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said on Monday that United States and Iranian negotiators would meet in Doha on Tuesday for talks under the Pakistan-brokered Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
In a statement on his Truth Social platform, Trump said Tehran had requested the meeting following days of renewed military exchanges. “Iran has requested a meeting. It will take place tomorrow in Doha,” Trump said.
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) June 29, 2026
The planned talks come after Washington and Tehran agreed to halt military strikes and revive negotiations aimed at permanently ending months of conflict in the Middle East.
Technical talks to continue
A US official told AFP on Sunday that both sides had agreed to suspend military action and resume negotiations under the Islamabad MoU, which was signed on June 18 with Pakistan acting as mediator.
“Technical talks are slated to continue on all areas of the MOU,” the official said in an email. “Both sides will stand down for now, and vessels can move freely.”
The official did not specify the venue or timing of the negotiations. However, two US officials and another source familiar with the matter told Axios that talks would resume on Tuesday in Qatar.
CNN also cited a Trump administration official as saying the two sides had agreed to “stand down for now” and would meet in Doha for further discussions.
However, Iran’s deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi denied reports that technical talks were “planned for this week”, state TV reported.
Gharibabadi said no technical meetings with the US have been scheduled for the working groups under the Islamabad MoU, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reports.
Tasnim further quoted Gharibabadi as calling reports circulated by some media outlets regarding the holding of technical talks in Doha as “untrue”.
مساعد وزير الخارجية الإيراني كاظم غريب آبادي: لم يُبرمج عقد أي اجتماعات فنية مع الجانب الأمريكي هذا الأسبوع لمجموعات العمل في إطار مذكرة التفاهم
– تستمر المشاورات مع قطر، بما في ذلك ما يتعلق بمتابعة تنفيذ التزامات الطرف المقابل
— وكالة تسنيم للأنباء (@Tasnimarabic) June 29, 2026
نائب وزير الخارجية الإيراني: رغم استمرار المشاورات مع قطر، بما في ذلك ما يتعلق بمتابعة تنفيذ التزامات الطرف المقابل، فإن الأنباء التي تداولتها بعض وسائل الإعلام بشأن عقد محادثات فنية لمجموعات العمل في الدوحة غير صحيحة.
— وكالة تسنيم للأنباء (@Tasnimarabic) June 29, 2026
Trump seeks diplomatic progress
The White House said President Trump wanted diplomacy to continue but warned that Washington remained prepared to respond to any further Iranian attacks.
“The president obviously wants to see the peace process play out, and the Iranians would be best to sign a good deal with the United States of America, because the president has proven he’s unafraid to use the might of our military,” White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told Fox News.
Leavitt said Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and senior adviser Jared Kushner would travel to Doha for high-level meetings.
“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, there will be the technical talks,” she said.
.@PressSec: “@SEPeaceMissions and @jaredkushner will be flying to Doha for high-level meetings this week as we continue to discuss the Memorandum of Understanding… as far as we’re concerned, we’re holding up our end of the ceasefire. Violence will be met with violence…there… https://t.co/ROpLMwuKpO pic.twitter.com/fVwV63tj4N
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) June 29, 2026
Trump also said oil and fuel prices were declining despite recent tensions in the Gulf.
“WTI crude — $69, and heading down. This is less than it was prior to the start of the denuclearisation of Iran,” the US President wrote on Truth Social.
In a separate post, Trump said petrol prices were “coming down, fast” and urged consumers to report any retail price abuses.
Recent military exchanges
The diplomatic push follows days of military confrontation despite the June 17 ceasefire framework.
US and Iranian forces exchanged strikes after both sides accused each other of violating the agreement that seeks a comprehensive end to the conflict, which began in late February and disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Under the agreement, Tehran committed to ensuring the safe passage of commercial shipping through the strategic waterway, while Washington agreed to lift its blockade of Iranian ports.
The latest escalation came early Sunday, when the US military said it had struck 10 Iranian military targets in response to what it described as continued Iranian aggression against commercial shipping.
Earlier, Iran launched missiles and drones towards Kuwait and Bahrain shortly after Trump warned that the United States would “militarily complete the job” if Tehran failed to honour the interim agreement.
“There may come a point when we are no longer able to be reasonable, and will be forced to militarily complete the job that we very successfully started,” Trump wrote on social media.
“If that happens, the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist!”
Shortly afterwards, Kuwait’s military said its air defences responded to missile and drone attacks, while Bahrain reported that warning sirens had sounded across the kingdom.
Pakistan urges adherence to ceasefire
Pakistan, which brokered the ceasefire and mediated subsequent negotiations, renewed its call for all parties to honour the agreement.
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Sunday stressed the need for all parties to the Middle East conflict to uphold the ceasefire agreement.
Dar made the remarks during a phone call with European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas.
During the telephone conversation, Dar and Kallas reviewed the evolving regional situation, according to a statement issued by Pakistan’s Foreign Office.
Ishaq Dar informed the EU’s top diplomat about Pakistan’s continued diplomatic efforts towards a comprehensive framework for peace and stability in the region.
“He also emphasised the necessity for all parties to abide by the ceasefire agreement,” the Foreign Office statement read.
Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts
Pakistan is the main mediator between the US and Iran after it secured a ceasefire on April 08 and hosted the highest level of talks between the two nations on April 12 and 13 in Islamabad.
On June 18, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding to end hostilities and launch further negotiations.
On June 21, Pakistan and Qatar mediated the high-level US-Iran talks in Switzerland.
The first round of Pakistan and Qatar mediated US-Iran talks, led by US Vice President JD Vance and Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf, was held in Switzerland a week ago, and Washington waived sanctions on Tehran.
After the talks, Pakistan and Qatar announced significant progress in diplomatic efforts between the US and Iran following the conclusion of the first round of high-level talks in Switzerland.
