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US President Donald Trump said Monday that Iran had requested a meeting with American officials, but Iranian authorities denied that any talks had been scheduled.
In a post on social media, Trump said the meeting would take place on Tuesday in Doha, Qatar, reports AP.
The US president is trying to keep an increasingly fragile interim agreement alive as tensions continue to rise in the Strait of Hormuz. The recent hostilities have raised fears of higher global oil prices, potentially weakening Trump's claims that inflation in the United States is easing.
Earlier on Monday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Qatar would release $6 billion in frozen Iranian assets, even as negotiations with Washington faced fresh challenges following attacks in the Persian Gulf over the weekend.
His remarks appeared aimed at reassuring the Iranian public about the interim agreement, particularly as Iran's control over the Strait of Hormuz has come under pressure amid efforts to expand shipping routes through Oman's territorial waters.
Iran's attacks and threats disrupted the movement of cargo ships and oil tankers through the strategic waterway, which normally handles about one-fifth of the world's traded oil and natural gas. The disruption has fueled concerns about a global energy crisis.
Although the strait lies within the territorial waters of Iran and Oman, it has long been regarded as an international shipping route. In recent days, Iran attacked vessels travelling near Omani waters twice, prompting retaliatory US airstrikes and raising concerns that efforts to secure a formal end to the conflict could be derailed. Iran also launched drone and missile attacks targeting Bahrain and Kuwait on Sunday.
Pezeshkian, meanwhile, described the interim agreement as "a great victory for the Iranian people" in remarks carried by the state-run IRNA news agency.
"Based on the plans made, $6 billion out of the total $12 billion of Iranian resources in Qatar will be be released and returned to the country, and necessary follow-ups are being carried out," he said, without providing further details.
The reformist president is the highest-ranking Iranian official to publicly mention the planned release of the funds held in Qatar, which has been acting as a key mediator alongside Pakistan in the negotiations.
However, US officials maintain that none of Iran's frozen assets have been released. Qatar has also not confirmed any transfer, while Iran attacked a tanker carrying Qatari crude oil during the recent exchange of hostilities in the Persian Gulf.
Confusion also persisted over the next round of Iran-US negotiations.
Pakistan, which has been mediating between the two sides, said talks would resume on Tuesday. The Trump administration said on Sunday that discussions had not been canceled and that technical-level talks remained on schedule.
But senior Iranian negotiator Kazem Gharibabadi rejected reports that any talks had been arranged.
"Although consultations with Qatar, including on following up on the implementation of the other side's commitments, are continuing as usual, reports by some media about technical talks by the working groups being held in Doha are not confirmed," he said, according to IRNA.
Technical talks involve lower-level officials working out the details of a possible agreement before senior leaders from Iran and the United States return to formal negotiations.
