Iran and the United States concluded a round of indirect talks on Wednesday with no sign they had made headway toward a lasting peace, focusing instead on issues that
they said had been resolved when an interim agreement was announced two weeks ago.
Sources familiar with the discussions said negotiators for the two countries spent two days in Doha discussing maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz and unfreezing Iran's funds, two critical issues under the initial agreement.
“In Washington, U.S. President Donald Trump said the two sides were making progress on possible limits to Iran's nuclear program — the
main reason (once it was obvious regime change wasn’t going to happen) he launched the war along with Israel in February. "The denuclearization of Iran is moving along well,"(?) he told reporters. "They've had very good meetings, and we'll see."”
Iran and the United States concluded a round of indirect talks on Wednesday with no sign they had made headway toward a lasting peace, focusing instead on issues that they said had been resolved when an interim agreement was announced two weeks ago.
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“American and Iranian negotiators held separate meetings with Qatari and Pakistani mediators, Qatar's foreign ministry said.
Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and top U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, dispatched to the region for what the White House had billed as "high-level" talks, did not attend the sessions, according to a source who spoke on condition of anonymity.”
Iranian officials also said the two sides must still sort out the terms of a ceasefire they signed two weeks ago before they could tackle more difficult topics, such as possible limits to its nuclear program.
Iran said on Tuesday it would not meet with top U.S. envoys who flew to the region following an outbreak of hostilities, clouding the prospects for a lasting peace between the two countries.
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The hidden costs of providing Iran with a $300 billion reconstruction fund and operational control over the Strait of Hormuz include massive global inflation, supply chain vulnerabilities, and geopolitical leverage. These factors present major risks to global stability:
- Tolls on International Waters: Iran plans to charge commercial ships passing through the strait up to $40 billion annually for "security and environmental services". The United States and Gulf nations strongly reject these unilateral tolls, raising the risk of prolonged legal, diplomatic, and military standoffs.
- Critical Mineral Bottlenecks:The Strait of Hormuz controls roughly 45% of the global seaborne sulfur trade. Prolonged disruptions and blockades at this chokepoint have already driven up sulfur costs, leading to output reductions and supply delays for critical minerals needed for electric vehicle batteries and defense products.
- Funding Regional Proxies: Critics and regional allies worry that the $300 billion in potential investments and unblocked funds—even if structured through third parties or private investments rather than direct taxpayer dollars—would free up internal Iranian state capital. This liquidity could be used to heavily re-arm or fund proxy networks in the Middle East.
- Leverage Over Global Energy: Control of the waterway gives Tehran the unprecedented ability to dictate the flow of a massive percentage of the world's oil and natural gas. This creates continuous geopolitical leverage, allowing Iran to threaten energy shortages or price spikes against countries reliant on the route.
