Iran and US agree to a communication channel after Qatar talks
Indirect talks between the United States and Iran in Doha concluded on July 1 with an agreement to establish a “communication channel” for each side to report breaches of the memorandum of understanding that underpins their ceasefire, according to Al Jazeera . Negotiators also discussed how part of roughly $6 billion in unfrozen Iranian assets would be spent, with Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi saying the funds would be used to buy goods Tehran needs — a softening of President Trump’s earlier statement that the money would go toward US products.
Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari described “positive progress” and said talks would resume after funeral processions for Iran’s former supreme leader. Trump called the meetings “very good” and said “the denuclearisation of Iran is moving along well.”
The mechanics matter more than the mood. The 60-day ceasefire signed in mid-June commits both sides to reopening the Strait of Hormuz and building a framework for permanent talks, but each has carried out strikes since, and no enforcement mechanism existed until now. A dedicated channel for flagging violations is a modest step toward keeping the agreement from collapsing over incidents that would otherwise be disputed publicly. Whether it holds depends on whether both governments treat it as a de-escalation tool rather than a paper formality.