Top US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were in Doha on Tuesday to meet with Qatari mediators on talks with Iran, but both Qatar and Tehran said there would be no direct or high-level meetings between US and Iranian officials, contradicting US President Donald Trump’s claim a day earlier that the two sides would meet.The visit by Trump’s special Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner comes after military exchanges in and around the Persian Gulf complicated efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global shipping route.Earlier, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Majid al-Ansari said the US delegation would not meet directly with Iranian officials in Doha.“The envoy will not hold direct talks with Iranian diplomats while in Qatar’s capital Doha,” al-Ansari said. He said the mediators would instead act as mediators and that “no high-level officials will be involved in the discussions.”Iran is also sending a delegation to Doha this week. However, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghai denied any direct engagement with Washington.“Basically, we have no plans to meet with the American side at any level in the next few days,” Baghai said during a press briefing. He said the Doha discussions would be held specifically to implement parts of the existing memorandum of understanding with Qatari authorities, including the release of Iran’s frozen assets. Qatar also confirmed that mediators would send messages between the two sides instead of face-to-face talks. Such indirect talks have already taken place between Iran and America.“What will be done in Doha tomorrow is a discussion on the implementation of the clauses of the memorandum of understanding, including the release of Iran’s frozen assets that are held by the Qatari side,” Baghai said.Under the interim agreement reached earlier this month, Iran agreed to reduce its stockpile of enriched uranium, while the United States eased oil sanctions, supported free navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and set a 60-day deadline to negotiate a comprehensive agreement.Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian said on Monday that Qatar planned to release $6 billion of frozen Iranian assets. A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the negotiations, confirmed the amount and said the funds would be used to purchase American food products for the Iranian people.However, Al-Ansari said the funds had not yet been transferred.Speaking at a separate briefing, he said the release would proceed “in accordance with the progress of negotiations”, indicating that any transfer would be dependent on diplomatic progress.