US-Iran negotiations: What’s the latest?

Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani has met United States envoy Steve Witkoff and US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner in Doha as attempts are made to restart direct talks between Tehran and Washington. The US and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on June 17, extending their ceasefire by 60 days, during which they agreed to continue more detailed negotiations on their differences – with the future of the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s frozen assets, long-term sanctions relief and Tehran’s nuclear programme among the issues on the table. But the two weeks since have seen new tensions rise between the US and Iran over the passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, US bombing of Iran, Iranian attacks on US military assets in Kuwait and Bahrain, and continuing Israeli assaults in Lebanon. And while Washington has said it will hold direct negotiations with Tehran in Doha, the latter has denied this. Here is the latest on the negotiations: What are US officials saying? US Vice President JD Vance told Fox News that the Trump administration was in a “great position” regardless of how the talks pan out. The US “obviously” wants the talks to succeed, Vance said, but added that his country was “still in a much stronger position” than Iran even if they fail. …