Iran’s top negotiators reach Qatar for key talks on finalising MoU
Why this matters: local context for readers following news across Pakistan and the region.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi have reached Doha for talks with the Emir of Qatar and other senior officials. Both sides are discussing the most sensitive unresolved issues to reach a memorandum of understanding to restore peace in the Middle East. The Central Bank Governor is also in this delegation, which suggests that there’s a movement, that there are discussions about the unfreezing of assets, which are a core demand for Iranians. According to media reports, discussions about other issues, including highly enriched uranium have to wait, while the focus is on confidence building measures. Another point of contention is, of course, the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei earlier said this is an issue between Iran and Oman, and that Tehran has been providing security services for ships transiting the strait. Last week, a high-level delegation from Qatar also visited Iran. It is worth noting that the restoration of Iran’s frozen financial assets remains one of Tehran’s key demands in the ongoing negotiations with the United States. Trump says Iran deal will be ‘meaningful’ or not happen at all