U.S. President Donald Trump said on the 29th (local time) on his social media (SNS) Truth Social that "Iran has requested talks," claiming that talks with Iran will be held in Doha, Qatar, on the 30th. Iran, however, drew a line, saying a working-level meeting with the United States is not scheduled for this week.
White House Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt also appeared on Fox News the same day and said President Trump's eldest son-in-law Jared Kushner and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff are scheduled to travel to Doha this week for high-level talks. Leavitt said, "Alongside the high-level talks, technical working-level meetings will also be held." On the implementation of the cease-fire, she said, "From our standpoint, we are adhering to the cease-fire," adding, "We will respond to violence with violence."
Iran, by contrast, denied any schedule for talks with the United States. Reuters, citing Iranian media, reported that Iran's Vice Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said a working-level meeting with the United States is not planned for this week.
Vice Minister Gharibabadi explained that while consultations with Qatar continue regarding the implementation of the end-of-war memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the United States, it has not been decided whether a technical working-group meeting will be held in Doha. He said talks could be held once conditions are prepared and the timing and location of the meeting are agreed.
Earlier, U.S. online outlet Axios reported that the United States and Iran plan to hold talks in Doha on the 30th. Reuters also reported, citing sources familiar with the negotiations, that U.S. and Iranian technical teams discussing MOU implementation are expected to meet within days.
The two countries were initially known to have discussed holding a working-level meeting in Switzerland. But as military tensions have risen around the Strait of Hormuz in recent days, an interpretation is that the sides' announcements diverged during the process of adjusting the venue and format of the talks.
The United States, citing Iran's attacks on merchant ships, carried out airstrikes on Iranian military facilities, and Iran struck U.S. bases in the Gulf region in retaliation. There are growing concerns that the clashes could disrupt follow-up talks under the end-of-war MOU.
Still, both sides find escalation burdensome. The United States is publicly mentioning the possibility of resuming talks to keep a diplomatic exit open, and Iran said consultations through Qatar are continuing.