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Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff will discuss the state of negotiations with mediators
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Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have arrived in Qatar to meet mediators, but will not meet Iran for direct talks.
“There is ho high level meeting between the US and Iran planned,” Qatar said on Tuesday, in another sign that the peace process was stalling.
Tehran on Tuesday denied that any negotiations would take place with the US, despite Trump saying a meeting would take place in Doha at Iran’s request.
“IRAN HAS REQUESTED A MEETING. IT WILL TAKE PLACE TOMORROW IN DOHA,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
However, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, said no talks between Iran and the US were scheduled in the coming days. He said that an Iranian technical delegation will visit Qatar this week, but it has no relation to US officials visiting the country.
Iran and the US had traded attacks in the Gulf in recent days as each accused the other of violating an interim deal signed less than two weeks ago to end their four-month war.
South Korean president Lee Jae-myung has announced that all but two vessels stranded in the Strait of Hormuz have now exited the waterway.
A total of 26 South Korean-linked ships were in the Strait when Iran closed the chokepoint on 28 February after the US and Israel launched attacks on Tehran.
Iranian foreign minister spokesperson Esmail Baghaei has insisted that there is no need for “outside interference” in the Strait of Hormuz.
He said that the involvement of other countries would only “complicate” matters.
The United Nations trade and development agency warned on Tuesday that vulnerable economies remain at risk from prolonged increases in food and fuel costs despite the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz bringing immediate relief to energy markets.
Food and transport systems are likely to take longer than energy markets to recover, as disrupted supply chains need more time to reset following more than 100 days of severe disruption to shipping through the strategic waterway, a UN Conference on Trade and Development said in a new report.
Despite the falling price of crude, higher fuel, gas and fertiliser costs could continue to feed through into agricultural production, transport costs and household budgets.
Vulnerable economies remain particularly exposed to oil and fertiliser price shocks, while persistently high food prices could place further pressure on poorer households. UNCTAD said a 5 per cent increase in food prices can significantly raise the risk of childhood wasting.
The agency identified 61 vulnerable economies exposed to oil and cereal import shocks linked to the Strait of Hormuz disruption. Among them is Cape Verde, which relies heavily on imported fuel and has experienced rising electricity, transport and food costs that could continue even after energy markets stabilise.
Staple food-importing countries such as Yemen also remain highly vulnerable because their fragile economies are ill-equipped to absorb higher grain prices and transport costs. UNCTAD called for international support to help the most exposed countries recover from the recent shocks.
Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump became friends over a deli sandwich. Now the friends political associates are working together in an attempt to broker a fledgling piece with Iran.
Witkoff, who runs a real estate development and investment firm, is a longtime friend and golf partner of Trump. He played a less visible role during Trump’s first term, serving on the board of trustees for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Since Trump’s re-election, the billionaire has served as the United States special envoy to the Middle East and special envoy for peace missions.
He played a key role in negotiating a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas earlier this year, alongside Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Prior to his political career, Witkoff enjoyed successful business dealings in the Middle East and strong relationships with the Qatari government, which were reported to be a key source of funds for his company, the Witkoff Group.
The real-estate developer and investor also served during the first Trump administration as member of the Great American Economic Revival Industry Groups, set up to deal with the economic impact of the Covid pandemic.
He has been highly visible during Israel-Gaza ceasefire negotiations and was selected by Trump to help broker peace between Russia and Ukraine and the US and Iran.
This article first appeared on our partner site, Independent Persian
The signing of a memorandum of understanding between US president Donald Trump and Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian was seen by many Iranians not as the end of a crisis, as portrayed by Washington and Tehran, but as a symbol of “political betrayal” and “America’s historic failure”.
In messages sent to Independent Persian, readers from various cities across Iran said that after 39 days of war, Trump ultimately agreed to a deal with the Islamic Republic while the core power structure in Tehran remains intact, the influence of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has grown, and ordinary Iranians have been left to cope with economic hardship, destroyed homes, unemployment and a new wave of executions.
Iran and the US have issued conflicting statements about forthcoming discussions. Here is an overview of what could be discussed.
Iran’s foreign ministry said a delegation will be in Doha over the next two days, but the team will not meet with US officials.
Instead, the group will pursue, through the Qatari mediator, the implementation of US commitments under the memorandum of understanding, according to deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi.
President Donald Trump had said that Iran-US talks would be held in Doha today. However, Iran dismissed the statement, saying no talks have been scheduled for the coming days.
Egypt’s foreign ministry condemned Israeli attacks on Syria on Monday.
It affirmed its “complete rejection of any violations affecting the sovereignty of Arab states or their territorial integrity, renewing its full solidarity with Syria and support for all efforts to preserve its unity and sovereignty.”
As Israeli troops and vehicles entered the town of Abdin in southern Syria, residents blocked the roads with rocks, and some young men and boys threw stones to push back the military patrol.
Tensions in this part of the country created by a buffer zone occupied by Israeli forces have flared into violence in recent days, leaving residents anxious that more escalation is coming. Residents of Abdin, located near a U.N.-patrolled buffer zone now controlled by Israeli troops, tried to resist against a military incursion Sunday.
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