Qatar and Pakistan report 'positive progress' in US-Iran talks, next round delayed to July 18 for Khamenei funeral

Talks resume under the shadow of violence

On 1 July, indirect negotiations between the United States and Iran concluded in Doha. Qatar's foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari described the outcome as 'positive progress' on issues tied to the memorandum of understanding signed on 17 June at the Lake Lucerne summit. Mediators from Qatar and Pakistan held separate meetings with the two delegations, and the sides agreed to continue their talks as soon as possible after the funeral ceremonies for former supreme leader Ali Khamenei. At the same time, a Reuters account reported no sign of headway toward lasting peace, describing the session as focused on matters already considered settled two weeks earlier.

“Mediators from Qatar and Pakistan concluded separate meetings with US and Iranian negotiators, with positive progress on issues related to the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, based on the outcomes of the Lake Lucerne summit.”

Hormuz becomes a flashpoint again

The talks took place against a backdrop of renewed military exchanges. Over the weekend, US forces struck sites at Sirik, Bandar-e Lengeh, and Qeshm Island, hitting what CENTCOM called 10 Iranian military targets near the Strait of Hormuz. Washington said the raids were retaliation for an Iranian drone attack on a Panama-flagged tanker carrying over two million barrels of crude. Iran countered with ballistic missiles and drones aimed at the US Ali Al Salem airbase in Kuwait and the Fifth Naval Fleet's Bahrain facilities. Each side accused the other of violating the 60-day ceasefire, and Tehran refused to attend technical talks scheduled for Sunday. The Iranian military command Khatam al-Anbiya warned that any US interference in the strait would be met with a 'decisive and rapid response' and demanded all tankers and commercial vessels follow only the route Iran designates.

“Any violation of the navigation protocols in the Strait of Hormuz will be met with an immediate and decisive response by the armed forces. The continuous presence of American fighter jets over the strait endangers the security of the entire region.”

A nation prepares for its supreme leader's funeral

In Tehran, preparations are underway for the funeral of Ali Khamenei, who was killed during the US-Israeli strikes that opened the four-month war on 28 February. The ceremonies will run from 4 to 9 July, and more than 20 million people are expected to attend. Parliament speaker and lead negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf called on Iranians to turn out en masse, saying the 'nation's demand for revenge must resound in the ears of the whole world'. Separately, Khamenei's designated successor and son, Mojtaba Khamenei, will not appear at the events for security reasons, according to his representative in India.

“The nation's demand for revenge must resound in the ears of the whole world.”

Nuclear inspections and regional spillover

Ghalibaf also rejected any IAEA access to bombed nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, insisting inspectors are currently limited to the Bushehr plant and the Tehran reactor. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi had said an agreement exists that requires access, but the Iranian parliament speaker labelled reports of expanded inspections false. Meanwhile, fighting spread beyond the Hormuz theatre: an Israeli airstrike hit the Ghandour hospital in Nabatieh al-Fawqa, southern Lebanon, and seven Palestinians were wounded in a drone attack on the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun defended his government's talks with Israel, denying accusations of betrayal and vowing not to surrender 'even a centimetre of Lebanese territory'.

“I think Iran has accepted everything we needed. They still have some missiles, but we can wipe them out.”

A tentative calendar

US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Doha on Monday to discuss the negotiations with Iranian officials, though Qatar later confirmed that Iran would not hold direct meetings. The Saudi broadcaster Al-Hadath, citing a senior source, reported that the next indirect round will begin on 18 July, a date that leaves the two sides less than a month before the 60-day interim accord expires around mid-August. As the funeral procession fills the streets of Tehran, the narrow path from a fragile memorandum to a comprehensive deal remains heavily mined by recent strikes and deep distrust.