US and Iran hold Doha talks on Strait of Hormuz shipping and permanent ceasefire

Vehicles seen at the western entrance of the Pickaxe Mountain tunnel complex adjacent to the Natanz Nuclear Facility near Natanz, in Isfahan province, central Iran. PIC/AFP

The US and Iran held technical talks in Doha on Wednesday as they seek to agree on the flow of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and secure a lasting ceasefire, a source with direct knowledge of the talks and an Iranian official said.

US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and envoy Steve Witkoff met the prime minister of Qatar, a mediator in the talks alongside Pakistan, to lay groundwork for the negotiations, but would not be attending the discussions themselves, the source with direct knowledge of the talks said.

The talks are based on a 14-point interim accord signed last month that was meant to halt the war, whilst setting up 60 days of negotiations for a permanent peace deal. Traffic has partially resumed through the Strait of Hormuz, which handled a fifth of global oil and LNG trade before the war.

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever