Breaking news: Indirect U.S.-Iran talks in Doha ended Wednesday with no clear public breakthrough toward a lasting peace deal, as negotiators remained stuck on the same issues that were supposed to be stabilized by last month’s interim agreement: shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and access to frozen Iranian funds.
The Star, carrying Reuters reporting, said the two days of talks concluded with no sign the sides had made headway toward a final settlement. Sources told Reuters the discussions focused on maritime traffic in Hormuz and financial incentives for Iran, rather than the harder nuclear and regional security questions that the June framework was meant to open.
That is the new point. Earlier Wednesday, the talks were still being described as a technical step forward. By the end of the round, the picture looked more limited: the sides had talked through implementation details, but not the core nuclear issue that Washington says drove the war in the first place.
The nuclear issue is still waiting
President Donald Trump told reporters that the meetings had been “very good” and said the “denuclearization of Iran is moving along well.” But Reuters reported that sources familiar with the Doha sessions said Iran’s nuclear program did not come up in the technical talks.
Vice President JD Vance also suggested that the nuclear track would come later, saying Washington was worried about the issue and would start talking about it. For now, the negotiations appear to be stuck at the implementation stage of the interim accord, not at the final-deal stage.
The Times of Israel also reported that the final-deal talks have not really begun, largely because of disputes over the Strait of Hormuz and the parallel conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. It said U.S. envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff were in Doha but did not attend the technical meetings themselves.
Hormuz remains the pressure point
The Strait of Hormuz is still the central fight. The interim deal allowed shipping to resume through the waterway for 60 days without charge, but Iran says it retains control over routes and plans to assess tolls after that window expires. The United States and several Gulf Arab states oppose Iranian tolls and want free commercial transit through the strait.
Reuters reported that Iran is determined to win international recognition of its control over the waterway, even if it has to do so by force. The same report said several European countries have offered to help clear mines from the strait, while Germany’s defense minister said he did not expect Berlin to participate because Iran was not cooperating with other countries.
The dispute is not theoretical. Iran’s state media said Wednesday that a foreign container ship ran aground in shallow waters outside the route designated by Iranian authorities. The report appeared to reinforce Tehran’s argument that ships must follow Iranian-approved routes, while Washington sees that same claim as a threat to international navigation.
Frozen funds add another dispute
The other live issue is money. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said after Doha meetings that Iran would use part of its frozen funds in Qatar to buy needed goods. The Hindu reported, citing AFP, that the mechanism and timing for any use of the funds remained unclear.
The Times of Israel said Iranian officials described an understanding on a partial release of frozen funds, while U.S. officials denied that such an agreement had been reached. That leaves another gap between Tehran’s public account and Washington’s public account of the same Doha round.
A narrow result, not a settlement
Iran has said the talks produced a communication channel for reporting alleged violations of the memorandum of understanding. That could help the sides register complaints before a shipping dispute or military incident spirals. But it is not the same as a peace deal.
The practical takeaway is simple: the Doha process is still alive, but it is moving slowly and remains trapped by Hormuz. Until the sides agree on who controls shipping routes, whether Iran can charge fees, and how frozen funds can be used, the nuclear negotiation that Washington wants may remain stuck behind the maritime fight.
For energy markets and Gulf shipping, that means the danger has not disappeared. Hormuz traffic has partly resumed, but the rules are still contested, enforcement is unclear, and the 60-day clock on the interim arrangement is still running.
Sources: Reuters via The Star; The Times of Israel; The Hindu/AFP.