Conflicting claims cloud talks

Both Iran and the United States were scheduled to send negotiators to Qatar this week, yet the two sides have issued conflicting statements over the timing and core objectives.

The friction puts further strain on an interim ceasefire meant to end their four-month war and restore shipping along the Strait of Hormuz.

After four days of reciprocal strikes, both sides paused fire on Monday. US President Donald Trump said on social media that a Doha meeting was on the agenda, and his spokeswoman later told Fox News that special envoy Steve Witkoff and senior adviser Jared Kushner "will travel to Doha for high-level diplomatic talks this week".

However, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said late on Monday that an Iranian technical delegation would head to Doha this week, while denying any face-to-face negotiation with US counterparts. He said the trip only serves to discuss technical terms of the interim truce, with no US engagement scheduled.

"We have not yet entered the stage of negotiating a final agreement," he said. "Over the coming days, we will not have any negotiation meetings with the US side at any level."

Qatar's Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari told a media briefing on Tuesday that Witkoff and Kushner will not hold a high-level meeting with Iran.

Instead, there will be technical talks this week on issues including regional security that could later be elevated to senior level, he added.

Paul Musgrave, an associate professor at Georgetown University in Qatar, said the planned engagement signals positive momentum as it proves both countries seek to keep diplomatic channels open.

"There is a commitment to making sure that even though (previous) talks in Switzerland were interrupted for a little bit, there is still going to be a role for mediators … to keep these talks going," he told Al Jazeera.

Iran's exercise of control over the Strait of Hormuz has sparked repeated flare-ups, the latest of which came early on Sunday when US Central Command said it had attacked 10 Iranian military targets over "continued Iranian aggression against commercial shipping". Tehran retaliated with strikes against US military bases in Kuwait and Bahrain.

The waterway is bordered by Iran and Oman. Roughly one-fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas shipments passed through the strait prior to the conflict. Tehran confirmed on Monday its first talks with Oman since the interim truce was struck.

Service fees

Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi revealed on Monday that Oman and Iran are mulling service fees for merchant vessels transiting the strait.

He told Radio Monte Carlo that the charges would cover maritime safety, pollution control, navigation assistance and emergency response such as fire suppression, yet Oman opposes levying pure transit tolls on ships.

Iran warned on Sunday that any vessels bypassing its designated coastal shipping lane through the strait would ratchet up tensions across the Middle East.

The published text of the US-Iran memorandum of understanding says Iran will define the future administration of the strait in dialogue with Oman and other Gulf states, but "in line" with international law.

The implementation road map of the MoU remains unclear, with Tehran highly sensitive to demining operations, Agence France-Presse reported.

In a joint statement after talks between French President Emmanuel Macron and Omani Sultan Haitham bin Tariq, the two countries announced plans to launch joint maritime demining missions.

Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi pushed back immediately, insisting that the truce grants exclusive demining authority to Iran.

"The situation is sensitive and complex. We strongly advise France not to complicate it further with its provocations," he posted on X.

Meanwhile, traffic slowed over the weekend after a vessel was struck while transiting the waterway. Vessel tracking company MarineTraffic recorded 38 cargo transits on Saturday and 22 on Sunday.

Contact the writers at cuihaipei@chinadaily.com.cn