President Donald Trump declared on Wednesday that indirect technical talks between the United States and Iran in Doha had produced “very good meetings” and that “the denuclearisation of Iran is moving along well.” The discussions, mediated by Qatar and Pakistan, are the first formal working-level engagement since the two sides signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in mid-June, an accord that paused a wider Middle East war and set a 60-day deadline for a permanent ceasefire and a framework for resolving the nuclear file. Trump, speaking to reporters before boarding an aircraft gifted by Qatar, added that the US had “hit them very hard” in recent strikes but that relations were now “getting along very well.”

Viewed from Washington, the administration is pursuing a dual-track approach. While Trump publicly emphasised diplomatic progress, The Wall Street Journal reported that he had recently discussed options for resuming full-scale military operations with Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and other senior commanders, before opting to continue negotiations. Vice President JD Vance dismissed Iran’s denial of direct talks as a “Persian negotiating tactic” and insisted that technical-level discussions were “definitely happening.” US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff had met Qatar’s prime minister and emir to lay the groundwork but were not participating in the technical sessions themselves.

Tehran’s public posture diverged sharply. Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei stated that the Iranian delegation, led by Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, had “no plans for negotiations with the American side at any level over the coming days.” Gharibabadi later said that working groups to address the MOU’s details had been established but that expert-level work had not yet begun, and that consultations on the date and venue for formal talks were continuing through mediators. Iranian chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf acknowledged “implementation challenges” and said the Doha delegation would focus on clauses related to the Strait of Hormuz and the fighting in Lebanon, while insisting that the US and its allies must also fulfil their commitments.

The MOU, brokered after a summit at Lake Lucerne, provides for a 60-day ceasefire, the reopening of the blockaded Strait of Hormuz, and a timeline for a final agreement on Iran’s nuclear programme. Since its signing, however, both sides have exchanged fire: Iran targeted a commercial vessel it said had deviated from an approved route, the US struck ten Iranian military targets, and Tehran retaliated with strikes on US bases in Kuwait and Bahrain. Analysts in London and Washington note that the public dissonance reflects both the early stage of the process and the absence of direct contact, with all substantive exchanges passing through Qatari and Pakistani intermediaries. The Qatari foreign ministry said discussions with Kushner and Witkoff also covered the ceasefire in Lebanon and regional stability.

The dossier remains at a preliminary stage. Working groups have been formed but have not commenced formal negotiations, and the two sides continue to send “very different public messages,” as one London-based analyst observed. The MOU’s 60-day clock is running, with a deadline of 18 August for a new nuclear energy agreement. For now, the technical channel in Doha is the sole active mechanism for translating the broad political understanding into verifiable commitments, even as military options remain under active review in Washington.