US, Iran hold talks in Qatar

Vance says no return to war unless needed

DOHA/ DUBAI/WASHINGTON:

US Vice President JD Vance said discussions between the US and Iran were going well as they held indirect technical talks in Qatar about the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, adding Washington would not return to full combat unless necessary.

The talks are based on a 14-point interim accord signed last month that was meant to halt the war that began with U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran in February and reopen the strait, while setting up 60 days of negotiations for a permanent peace deal.

However, the US and Iran have sparred publicly over the meaning of the interim pact, leading to tit-for-tat military strikes over the past week and leaving little sign of progress on more complex issues, including on Iran's nuclear programme.

Vance said he could not guarantee that Washington would not return to full combat operations ahead of next month's deadline but that for now President Donald Trump had directed officials to make a deal.

"I can't commit to anything, because obviously it depends on what the Iranians are ultimately going to do," he told reporters on a visit to Virginia Beach, Virginia. "What I can commit to is: The president's not going to send our military back in unless he has to, unless there's a clearly defined purpose for it."

In Doha, technical talks were focused on commercial shipping in the strait and would later turn to Tehran's nuclear capabilities, Vance said, adding: "It's still pretty early, but talks are going well."

Iran is determined to win international recognition of its control over the key oil-shipping waterway and its ability to levy fees on ships entering or leaving the Gulf, even if it has to do so by force, according to two senior Iranian sources.

Traffic has partially resumed through the strait, which handled one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas trade before the war.

Trump, who has said removing Iran's highly enriched uranium is a top priority, told reporters on Wednesday that "the denuclearization of Iran is moving along well", without giving details.

Asked about the possibility of returning to all-out war with Iran, Trump added: "Well, I think they've come a long way. We hit them very hard last week. I think they're fine."

The indirect talks, mediated by Qatar and Pakistan, began on Tuesday night and were continuing on Wednesday, an Iranian official said.

They are structured as sessions between chief negotiators and specialists, a source with knowledge of the talks said, adding that Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and envoy Steve Witkoff met Qatar's prime minister to lay groundwork for the talks but would not be attending.

Kushner and Witkoff later met Qatar's emir to discuss U.S.-Iran negotiations and developments in Lebanon, where a parallel conflict between Israel and Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah erupted in early March.

Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi headed a delegation of representatives from Iran's foreign ministry, central bank and agriculture ministry, meeting Qatar's prime minister and holding talks with mediators.

Iran has stated publicly its priorities include agreeing on management of the strait and the release of $6 billion in Iranian frozen assets, and the Iranian official said the current discussions would focus on those two issues.

The stated priority of the U.S. is to ensure the free flow of traffic through the strait, the source with knowledge of the talks said.

Iran's state media said on Wednesday a foreign container ship had run aground in the strait after entering shallow waters outside the shipping route designated by Iranian authorities.

"Hormuz continues to reopen but it's patchy, unpredictable, and not fully transparent," said Vandana Hari, founder of oil market analysis provider Vanda Insights.

The war triggered Iranian attacks on Gulf states hosting U.S. military bases, killed thousands of people, mainly in Iran and Lebanon and pushed up oil and fuel prices.

Trump faces domestic pressure to contain the economic fallout from the war before midterm elections in November, as well as criticism from his own party that the interim deal leaves U.S. objectives unmet.

In Iran, the theocratic leadership survived the war but faces domestic anger over a shattered economy.

Oil prices dipped further on Wednesday, with U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude reaching its lowest since February 27 - a day before the war's outbreak - at just under $69 a barrel.

The interim deal between the U.S. and Iran also provides for an end to the conflict in Lebanon.

The US has backed a separate track of talks between Israel and Lebanon's government, which produced a framework security deal that Hezbollah has dismissed and analysts warn could entrench Israel's occupation of Lebanon's south.

There had been intensive diplomatic activity on Lebanon between parties including the US up to Tuesday evening, the source with knowledge of the talks said.