US-Iran in indirect talks in Doha

US and Iranian officials are holding indirect talks to discuss a deal aimed at ending the Middle East war. A diplomat with knowledge of the talks confirmed the meeting to the French news agency AFP.

The diplomat said that US and Iranian officials will hold technical-level indirect talks in Doha on Wednesday in the presence of Qatari and Pakistani mediators on a memorandum of understanding based on progress made at the Lake Lucerne conference.

He said that US representatives Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff are not participating in the technical talks. However, they met with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani on Tuesday.

Earlier, the US and Iran had announced that they would send officials to Qatar for the meeting.

The memorandum of understanding, brokered by Qatar and Pakistan, includes a 60-day ceasefire to end the fighting that began on February 28, the reopening of the blocked Strait of Hormuz, a deadline to end the war forever and reach a final agreement on Iran's nuclear program.

Iranian officials are scheduled to visit Doha on Wednesday, but Tehran has rejected US President Donald Trump's earlier demand for direct talks.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghai said the Iranian delegation would be led by Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibavadi.

However, he said Iranian officials had no plans to hold talks with the US side at any level in the coming days.

Qatar's Foreign Ministry said Kushner and Witkoff met with the Qatari prime minister instead on Tuesday.

In a statement, the ministry said the three discussed ongoing talks between the US and Iran within the framework of the memorandum of understanding. They also discussed the recent situation in Lebanon.