President Donald Trump announced Monday that the United States and Iran will hold new diplomatic talks in Doha, Qatar, after a tense weekend of military exchanges threatened to derail an already fragile negotiation process.
Trump said Iran had requested the meeting, suggesting diplomacy still has a pulse despite the latest escalation.
“IRAN HAS REQUESTED A MEETING. IT WILL TAKE PLACE TOMORROW IN DOHA!,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Iran had not publicly responded to the announcement at the time of reporting.
As originally reported, a White House official told CNBC that Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff were expected to brief Congress Monday on the outline of an initial peace deal.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed to Fox News that Witkoff and Jared Kushner would make the trip to Doha for the meeting. She also delivered a pointed message about the current ceasefire.
“As far as we’re concerned, we’re holding up our end of the ceasefire. Violence will be met with violence,” Leavitt said.
She added that the administration still hopes diplomacy can hold, but made clear Trump is keeping military options available.
“The United States of America has the best and strongest military in the world. The president retains the right to use it. But again, the memorandum of understanding will continue to be discussed. The ceasefire is in place, and we hope that we can get to a good deal.”
The weekend’s hostilities were triggered by Iran’s attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical oil corridors. The U.S. responded with strikes on Iranian military targets.
Trump followed up Sunday with a stark warning to Tehran.
“There may come a point when we are no longer able to be reasonable, and will be forced to militarily complete the job that we very successfully started. If that happens, the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist!” he wrote on Truth Social.
Following the exchanges, U.S. officials said both sides agreed to pause hostilities and allow commercial vessels to move through the strategic waterway.
“Technical talks are slated to continue on all areas of the MOU,” a U.S. official told CNBC Sunday. “Both sides will stand down for now and vessels can move freely.”
The Doha talks represent a critical test of whether negotiations can survive the latest round of military pressure, with global oil markets and regional stability hanging in the balance.