Qatar on Tuesday said none of the $6 billion in Iranian assets frozen under US sanctions has been transferred, despite ongoing negotiations between Washington
and Tehran over implementing a memorandum of understanding. "So far, no funds have been transferred," Qatar's Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari said, as Iranian officials prepared to travel to Doha for technical talks on the next phase of the agreement. Iran has argued that the money should be released in a single payment. However, the United States is seeking to disburse the funds in smaller, incremental amounts, reportedly paying vendors directly as Iran makes progress on commitments including nuclear concessions and measures to ensure the free flow of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Technical Talks in Doha
Al Ansari said technical-level contacts between Iran and the United States remained ongoing but stressed that no high-level negotiations were currently taking place under the existing framework. "There are currently no high-level meetings between the Iranian and American parties under the adopted negotiation mechanism," he told a media briefing.
He said the visit by US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Doha formed part of consultations with Qatari officials and mediators on several regional issues, including discussions relating to Iran and Lebanon.
According to Al Ansari, technical discussions between Iranian and US officials have continued since earlier meetings in Switzerland, taking place both directly and indirectly with mediation by Qatar. "The Iranian and American technical delegations were still in session," he said, adding that the talks were being held in different formats with mediators participating to ensure the process continued.
The Doha negotiations differ from talks held earlier this month in Switzerland, where senior Iranian and US delegations met face-to-face behind closed doors.
Those discussions were led by US Vice-President JD Vance and Iran's chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. The current round in Doha is being conducted at a technical level, with the US delegation headed by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and the Iranian team led by Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi.
Unlike the Switzerland meeting, the two delegations are not expected to meet directly. Instead, Qatari officials are acting as intermediaries between the two sides.
Al Ansari said the purpose of the technical negotiations was to "produce documents that will be elevated to principles in the high-level meetings to agree upon."
Issues Under Discussion
According to Qatari officials, the technical talks are focused on several key issues, including:
Financial restrictions and the possible lifting of sanctions on Iran.
Measures to ensure the free flow of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.
The future of Iran's nuclear programme.
The potential release of Iran's frozen assets.
Regional security.
