The United States and Iran have less than 60 days to negotiate a permanent end to , but they still seem to be at odds over they reached this month.
It’s not even clear when the two sides will meet again. 鈥淭he situation is sensitive and complex,鈥� a senior Iranian negotiator, Kazem Gharibabadi, posted Monday on X.
Talks are just one of the pressing questions. Others include the , which the U.S. says is open while Iran insists on a measure of control. The issue led both sides to that appeared on Monday to have ended.
Here鈥檚 a look at what both sides have said about key sticking points, including the ongoing fighting in Lebanon, and why is still far from resolved.
More talks are expected, at some point
WHAT THE U.S. SAYS:
鈥淚RAN HAS REQUESTED A MEETING. IT WILL TAKE PLACE TOMORROW IN DOHA!鈥� U.S. President posted on social media Monday.
WHAT IRAN SAYS:
鈥淭here are no negotiation meetings with the U.S. side at any level scheduled in the coming days,鈥� Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said Monday.
WHAT鈥橲 GOING ON:
The U.S. and Iran have a roughly mid-August deadline to reach a permanent peace deal including an agreement on Iran’s .
What鈥檚 ahead are technical talks involving lower-level diplomats before any return to the table by top negotiators. Mediators are eager to get going. Pakistan, a key mediator along with Qatar, has said talks would resume Tuesday.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox 91欧美激情 on Monday that envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump鈥檚 son-in-law, were flying to Qatar to meet with the Iranians and that technical negotiations would occur on the sidelines.
Later, Iranian state media cited Baghaei as saying an expert delegation will travel to Qatar this week but with no planned U.S. meetings.
There鈥檚 plenty to discuss, including arrangements around the , sanctions waivers on Iran and the future of Iran鈥檚 stockpile of .
But the deal says fighting must stop before further negotiations. After the exchange of fire over the weekend, Iran on Sunday threatened a 鈥渃omplete halt鈥� in talks. On Monday, both sides appeared to pause their attacks. Tehran may be waiting to see if that holds.
The Strait of Hormuz is open for shipping, in theory
WHAT THE U.S. SAYS:
The Strait of Hormuz is open, according to the interim deal.
WHAT IRAN SAYS:
Iran insists it must govern the strait. 鈥淎ny attempt to establish new or separate arrangements from those currently being carried out by the Islamic Republic of Iran will only lead to further complications, delay the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and increase the level of tension,鈥� Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday.
WHAT鈥橲 GOING ON:
This is a good start. But in short, Iran during the war discovered a powerful new source of leverage in the waterway that carried a fifth of the world’s oil and gas before the conflict.
The interim deal says Iran should immediately facilitate commercial shipping through the strait that lies between it and Oman. It says Iran can work with Oman and other Persian Gulf countries to administer the waterway in line with ensuring freedom of navigation.
Iran says shippers must use its designated routes and coordinate with its authorities. It has objected to a new route overseen by the U.S. that runs along Oman. That sparked the fighting over the weekend.
The Trump administration is operating on the understanding that the U.S. and Iran are standing down and vessels can move freely through the strait, a U.S. official said Monday on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door negotiations.
Ships have begun transiting again, but traffic is still below prewar levels.
Fighting has stopped on all fronts, in a way
WHAT IRAN SAYS:
Fighting must stop everywhere and Israel must withdraw from before moving ahead on other issues.
WHAT HEZBOLLAH SAYS:
The Iranian-backed militant group will resist Israel’s occupation of large parts of southern Lebanon, and linking Israel鈥檚 withdrawal to Hezbollah鈥檚 disarmament is a 鈥渧ery dangerous suggestion,鈥� Hezbollah leader Naim Kassem said Saturday.
WHAT ISRAEL SAYS:
Israeli forces will remain in southern Lebanon 鈥渦ntil Hezbollah and the rest of the terrorist organizations are disarmed, and until no further threat to Israel is posed from Lebanon,鈥� Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
WHAT鈥橲 GOING ON:
A separate set of U.S.-brokered talks have been held between Israel and Lebanon’s government.
Iran says its interim deal with the U.S., which calls for a complete ceasefire in Lebanon, requires Israel to withdraw. But a separate U.S.-brokered agreement between Lebanon and Israel allows Israeli forces until Hezbollah has been disarmed. Hezbollah was not part of those talks and has rejected that deal.
Hezbollah attacked Israel two days after it and the United States attacked Iran on Feb. 28. Israel responded with aerial bombardment and a ground invasion.
Israel has vowed to keep forces in southern Lebanon until Hezbollah’s threat is eliminated. Lebanon’s government does not have the capacity to disarm Hezbollah by force.
Sporadic clashes continued in Lebanon over the weekend. That could delay Iran’s return to the negotiating table.
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Associated Press writer Josh Boak in Washington contributed.
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