An Iranian delegation led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi travelled to Doha on Monday for talks with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani over a possible agreement between Iran and the United States, Iranian state media reported.
According to Iran's official IRNA news agency, the visit forms part of a diplomatic track launched in recent weeks through Pakistani mediation aimed at ending the regional war that erupted on 28 February and triggered major tensions across the Middle East as well as a global energy crisis linked to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. IRNA said the Iranian delegation would discuss aspects of the ongoing negotiations with senior Qatari officials during the visit.
A source familiar with the discussions told Reuters that talks in Doha are primarily focused on the Strait of Hormuz and Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
The source added that Iranian Central Bank Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati joined the delegation to discuss the release of frozen Iranian assets as part of a final agreement with Washington.
Iranian state television also confirmed Hemmati's visit to Doha, saying discussions would focus on the release of frozen Iranian funds following recent talks between Iranian and Qatari officials in Tehran on the same issue.
The developments come amid growing signs that Tehran and Washington may be moving closer to an agreement to end the conflict.
US President Donald Trump said on Monday that any potential agreement with Iran would either be "great and beneficial" or there would be "no deal at all", responding to criticism from figures within the Republican Party.
Writing on Truth Social, Trump said any future agreement would differ completely from the 2015 nuclear deal negotiated under former president Barack Obama, which he described as "a direct path" for Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon.
Trump's comments came hours after Secretary of State Marco Rubio said an agreement to end the war with Iran could potentially be reached "today", warning that Washington would otherwise deal with Iran "another way".
Meanwhile, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran had achieved progress on "a large part" of the issues under discussion but insisted "no one can claim that signing an agreement is imminent".
Baghaei said recent progress towards a memorandum of understanding was the result of weeks of dialogue mediated by Pakistan, with additional support from other regional actors.
He also stressed that the draft agreement currently under discussion does not include details on managing the Strait of Hormuz , saying that responsibility for the strategic waterway rests with the coastal states overlooking it.
According to Baghaei, Iran and Oman are working to establish a reliable mechanism to guarantee safe maritime navigation through the strait.