Meanwhile, the Whitcomb-Kushner duo will meet tonight in Doha with the Prime Minister of Qatar, Mohammed Al-Thani, to discuss details regarding the course of tomorrow’s talks, the Iranian side emphasizes that it has not scheduled any kind of meeting with U.S. officials in the coming days, according to Ebrahim Bakai, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tehran. 

U.S. media sources and Qatari officials insist that tomorrow’s talks between Iranand the U.S. will be indirect, mediated by representatives from Qatar and Pakistan who are already in Doha. In any case, the Iranian government has been careful to emphasize in recent days that the main issue to be addressed is how Iranian funds will be released —an issue that Tehran highlights as a key precondition for the smooth implementation of the agreement with Washington.

Iran and Oman want to impose transit fees

However, an equally important issue is currently under discussion, with Iran, Oman, and the U.S. as the main players. Specifically, as reported today by The New York Times, although there has been no official announcement from Iran and Oman regarding their recent meeting, Iran and Oman are reportedly collaborating to impose tariffs on commercial ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz. In fact, the American newspaper cites well-informed sources who claim that Oman has already forwarded a draft proposal to Washington focused on the imposition of transit tariffs —a development that does not please the American side. What is striking, however, is the silence maintained by the government of the Sultanate of Oman on the matter.

Complete breakdown in contact between Beirut and Tehran

According to Lebanese media reports, following the signing of the framework agreement between Israel and Lebanon, brokered by the United States, contacts between the governments of Beirut and Tehran have been completely severed. The cancellation of a planned visit by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, to Beirut is being portrayed by the Lebanese media as clear evidence of the extremely tense atmosphere prevailing between the two countries.

Watch Gabriel Haritou’s report from Jerusalem on tonight’s main news broadcast on ALPHA Cyprus with Dimitra Makrygianni.