Qatar Working To Keep Dialogue Alive, As Iran Refuses To Meet US Envoys
Visiting US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff have held talks with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani on June 30 to discuss pressing regional crises, primarily technical-level negotiations with Iran.
During a weekly briefing, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed bin Mohammed Al Ansari clarified that while the American delegation met with Qatari mediators, no direct, high-level US-Iran meetings are currently underway. Instead, technical delegations from both sides continue, alternating between Doha and other locations to preserve a communication mechanism established since earlier talks in Switzerland.
Al Ansari noted that despite recent escalations, Qatar is working to contain the situation around recent military incidents in Hormuz. Technical talks are actively addressing the waterway traffic as well as Iran's nuclear program, he said. Furthermore, the first phase of regional understandings is focusing heavily on mine clearance and maritime safety in the strait, coordinated closely with Oman.
The ministry also confirmed that frozen Iranian funds linked to a 2023 agreement remain untouched in Qatari accounts, with any future release strictly dependent on bilateral progress and the ongoing mediation track.
Iran 'Not Negotiating' With US, Says Chief Negotiator
Iran is “currently not negotiating with the United States at all,” said Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, the parliament speaker and chief negotiator.
In an interview with state TV on June 30, Qalibaf said Tehran will not enter further negotiations until Washington implements all the clauses in a memorandum of understanding (MoU) the sides signed on June 17 aimed at ending the war, which is nearing its fifth month.
Iranian officials have in recent days called for the release of billions in frozen Iranian assets held abroad as well the end of Israel’s attacks on Lebanon -- key elements of the interim deal.
Tehran has said an Iranian technical team will visit Qatar but will not meet a US delegation that arrived in the Gulf country on June 30.
Qalibaf said that Iran was prioritizing diplomacy with the United States but remained ready for war.
“We are pursuing dialogue, but if the dialogue is not implemented, we are also prepared for war and will respond accordingly,” he said.
Iran Spying On Opposition Activists, Says German Intelligence
Iran is among three countries spying on opposition activists living in Germany and seeking to penetrate state institutions, the European country’s domestic intelligence agency (BfV) said in its annual report published on June 30.
The BfV's report named Iran, Pakistan, and Morocco as countries that have “employed human sources” in Germany to “secure information.”
These countries are also seeking to influence German politics, media, and administrative bodies using "clandestine methods," the report said.
“For those in power in Iran, these groups are seen as a threat to the continuation of their rule, which is why they violently suppress domestic protest and persecute these groups and individuals abroad,” the report added.
Following Israel’s 12-day war against Iran in June 2025, Iranian intelligence services have spied on Jewish organizations and their supporters in Germany and Europe, the report said.
Traffic In Strait Of Hormuz Picks Up
Maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, a key artery for global oil and gas supplies, picked up on June 29 after a lull over the weekend, which saw an attack on a Qatari tanker that prompted a US military response.
According to data from the maritime tracking firm Kpler, 40 vessels entered and exited the strait on June 29, including at least nine supertankers.
Kpler said 29 commodity vessels crossed the waterway on June 27 and 15 transited on June 28.
That marked a significant drop from last week, when Iran and the United States signed a memorandum of understanding that reopened the critical waterway for international shipping.
On June 24, there were 70 crossings, the highest number since the United States and Israel launched a war against Iran on February 28.
In response to the war, Tehran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a move that sent international oil and gas prices soaring and upended the global economy.
Mary Kissel: Iran's Nuclear Program Must Remain The Focus
WASHINGTON -- Despite a US-Iran memorandum that opened a 60-day diplomatic window, missile exchanges and maritime threats suggest the negotiations are faltering under growing military pressure.
RFE/RL spoke with Hudson Institute Senior Fellow Mary Kissel about whether diplomacy can still deliver lasting security, and why she believes Iran's nuclear ambitions remains the central issue.
The negotiations are already being tested, Kissel says. "I think that's fairly clear, and it's consistent with what we've observed from the regime not just over the past few months of this current conflict, but over the past 40-plus years. It's entirely consistent, and in that way they're a lot like Communist China -- they will test you until you decide to push back and force them to stop."
To read the full interview, click here.
Bessent Says Only China Buying Iranian Oil Since Sanctions Lifted
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced on June 30 that despite the lifting of sanctions on Iranian oil by the United States, no country except China has purchased Iranian oil.
"We were ordered to lift the sanctions on Iranian oil. What's really interesting is that outside China, which was buying Iranian oil during the sanctions, nobody has bought Iranian oil," Bessent told Fox News.
"The Iranians thus far have not been able to sell their oil because people are worried: 'Will sanctions snap back? Could the Treasury come after us?' So they're still selling to China at a discount," he continued.
Bessent said this is a reason why Iran should welcome negotiations with the United States.
The US Treasury Department issued a license to sell Iranian oil following the signing of the Iran-US memorandum of understanding on June 17.
This general license for the production and sale of crude oil and petroleum products by the Iranian government is valid for a period of 60 days.
Iran Official Says No Talks With US Till Fighting Ends In Lebanon
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei said on June 30 that the Iranians would not be prepared to meet for negotiations on ending the war, nearing its fifth month, until certain criteria are met.
He said such talks are subject to the "implementation of the clauses of the memorandum of understanding" (MOU) by the United States, specifically regarding the conflict in Lebanon.
"We must evaluate the current process in the coming days and decide based on that how and when to begin negotiations for a final agreement," Baqaei said at a press conference.
He referred to the first paragraph of the MOU signed between Iran and the United States on June 17 and announced that the "main criterion" for Tehran is that Washington "force" Israel to stop its attacks on Lebanon.
To read the full report, click here.
French Lawmakers Sponsor Death-Row Prisoners As Iran Ramps Up Executions
A group of 75 French lawmakers have taken the unusual step of formally sponsoring individual death-row political prisoners in Iran as the country's authorities continue to ramp up executions.
The move, taken on June 29 as part of a new National Assembly campaign organized by the Iran Freedom Congress (IFC), marked the IFC's first international human rights campaign since the group's founding earlier this year.
Under the sponsorship mechanism, each participating MP publicly attaches their name to an individual prisoner sentenced to death or facing imminent execution to give each case a parliamentary backer and a diplomatic pressure point.
Negin Shiraghaei, a member of the IFC’s Central Council, said the campaign took shape almost immediately after the congress's founding, calling the rise in executions an urgent priority "from literally the first day," despite the body being less than two months old.
Read more here
Qatar Says No High-Level US-Iran Talks Scheduled In Doha
Qatar's Foreign Ministry said no high-level meeting between US and Iranian officials is scheduled in Doha in the coming days, despite the upcoming visit of US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
"To the best of my knowledge, there are no direct meetings scheduled between the two parties in the coming days," Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari told reporters on June 30.
He said the American delegation would meet with Qatari mediators, adding: "To my knowledge there is no high-level meeting between the two sides."
The comments came after the White House announced that Witkoff and Kushner would travel to Qatar for high-level meetings and after US President Donald Trump said Iran had "requested a meeting" that would take place in Doha on June 30.
Iran has also said no talks are scheduled with the United States in the coming days.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei said an Iranian technical team would visit Qatar's capital, Doha, this week, but that it had no relation to US officials visiting the Arab country.
"We will not have any negotiations at any level with the American side in the coming days, and the fact that American representatives are traveling to Qatar has nothing to do with the Iranian delegation's trip," Baqaei said in a statement.
The conflicting statements come after the United States and Iran traded tit-for-tat strikes over the weekend, further straining the fragile cease-fire and casting doubt on efforts to resume negotiations.
Read more here
US Homeland Security Secretary Says He Did 'Happy Dance' After Iran Exit
US Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said he did a "happy dance" after Iran was eliminated from the 2026 FIFA World Cup, according to Sports Business Journal, saying he was "so glad they're gone" following the team's group-stage exit.
Sports Business Journal reported that Mullin made the remarks during a World Cup security briefing in Washington, saying he was "very happy they're going back because there wasn't a single team that we dealt with more than them." He later added: "I was so happy when we were able to pull their visas and said they could leave the US soil."
Iran narrowly missed out on the knockout stage after drawing all three Group G matches and finishing as the ninth-best third-placed team.
Mullin said "almost half" of Iran's delegation had ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), an elite branch of Iran's military designated a terrorist organization by the United States. The Iranian Football Federation denied the allegation, saying it was "completely unsupported by any evidence."
The United States had imposed strict travel restrictions on the Iranian squad during the tournament. a move Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei criticized, saying his team had been treated "very unfairly."
