No scheduled meeting with U.S. officials will take place in the coming days, the spokesperson of Iran’s Foreign Ministry, Esmaeil Baghaei, clarified on Tuesday, dismissing reports of a new round of direct contacts between Tehran and Washington.
As he stated, the talks expected to take place in Doha will concern exclusively the implementation of the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding, with the main issue being the release of restricted Iranian funds held in Qatar.
“What will most likely be discussed in Doha is the implementation of the provisions of the Memorandum of Understanding, including the provision for the release of Iran’s frozen assets in cooperation with Qatari authorities. We have not scheduled any meeting with the American side, at any level, in the coming days,” he stressed.
At the same time, a spokesperson for Qatar’s Foreign Ministry confirmed that around $6 billion in Iranian funds still frozen in the country have not yet been transferred to Tehran, underlining that this development depends directly on progress in negotiations between Iran and the United States.
He also noted that U.S. special envoys to the president, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, are already in Doha, while clarifying that no meeting has been scheduled with Iranian officials.
“The U.S. must uphold its commitments”
Baghaei also reiterated Tehran’s position on developments in Lebanon, arguing that Washington must fully implement the commitments it has undertaken through the Memorandum of Understanding.
“The commitment of the United States to ending the war on all fronts, particularly in Lebanon, is of crucial importance. America must fulfill its obligations and, if necessary, compel the Zionist regime to implement its own commitments,” he said.
He added that Tehran’s sole criterion for assessing whether Washington is meeting its obligations is the content of the Memorandum of Understanding itself.
Criticism over the national team’s treatment at the World Cup
The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson also referred to the country’s national football team’s participation in the 2026 World Cup, claiming it was treated in a “highly politicized manner.”
According to him, from the start of the tournament there were serious problems with visa issuance, resulting in several members of the technical staff and football federation officials not receiving visas.
He further claimed that issues also arose regarding accommodation, stating that the national team was housed in a different location from where its matches were held.
He also criticized U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin, who had said he “might have even danced with joy” after Iran’s exclusion from the tournament. Baghaei described the statement as unacceptable and indicative of the politicization of sport.
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