⚠️ IRAN DENIES PLANNED U.S. MEETING AS DOHA TALKS CONTINUE WHILE HORMUZ TENSIONS RISE AND PRESIDENT TRUMP KEEPS MILITARY OPTIONS ON THE TABLE
🔸 IRAN DENIES PLANNED U.S. MEETING AS DOHA TALKS CONTINUE: Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said, "We had not planned any meetings with the American side at any level over the next few days, so there is nothing for us to cancel." He said discussions in Doha are expected to focus only on implementing provisions of the memorandum of understanding with Qatar, including the clause concerning the release of Iran's restricted assets, adding, "No meeting at any level with the American side has been scheduled for the coming days."
Iran's senior negotiator, Kazem Gharibabadi, led a delegation including officials from Iran's Foreign Ministry, Central Bank, and Agriculture Ministry for talks with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. The discussions reviewed implementation of the memorandum of understanding aimed at ending what Iran calls the "imposed war," addressed implementation obstacles, expanded bilateral cooperation, and placed particular emphasis on Lebanon.
A subsequent trilateral meeting involving Iran, Qatar, and Pakistan focused on the next steps. Gharibabadi said the talks centered on implementing existing understandings, noting that specialized working groups have been established, but formal negotiations have not yet begun pending completion of mediation and logistical arrangements.
Reuters later reported that indirect technical talks between the United States and Iran have begun in Doha.
⚠️ IRAN WAR WARNING AND FROZEN ASSETS: Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Ghalibaf warned, "If they refuse to implement what was discussed, we are also prepared for war."
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said approximately $6 billion in Iranian funds frozen in Qatar are expected to be released under the agreement with the United States. According to Al-Arabiya, a preliminary agreement has been reached to release an initial $3 billion, with Iran stipulating the release of an additional $3 billion with each stage of progress in U.S.-Iran negotiations.
⚓ IRAN RAISES NEW DEMANDS OVER THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ: Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi announced the inaugural meeting of the Iran-Oman Hormuz Joint Committee in Muscat, where Iranian and Omani officials reviewed current issues related to the Strait of Hormuz and exchanged views on its future management under paragraph five of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding and the sovereign rights of the coastal states.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the IRGC has conveyed a message through Qatari mediators that it will again close the Strait of Hormuz unless Iran receives guarantees of exclusive control over the waterway. The message also demands that the United States and Western countries abandon plans to route commercial shipping through the southern channel near Oman's coast.
🇺🇸 PRESIDENT TRUMP CONTINUES TO FAVOR DIPLOMACY WHILE KEEPING MILITARY OPTIONS AVAILABLE: According to The Wall Street Journal, President Trump has discussed the possibility of resuming large-scale military action against Iran with senior administration officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Keane.
For now, however, President Trump continues to favor diplomacy. He reportedly believes another broad military campaign could undermine negotiations and efforts to dismantle Iran's nuclear program. He has also indicated that he has no objection to talks continuing beyond the August 18 deadline while remaining satisfied with the current policy of conducting targeted strikes in response to "Iranian violations of the memorandum of understanding."
According to administration sources, a return to full-scale conflict would effectively signal that the agreement with Iran had failed.
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