US-Iran War News Highlights: Iran says it will use frozen Qatar funds to buy essential goods

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Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Tehran will use part of its frozen assets in Qatar to purchase goods needed by the country.

The decision follows meetings with Qatari officials, including representatives of the Qatar Central Bank, in Doha.

Gharibabadi said according to the IRNA state news agency:

"During the meetings with Qatari officials, including the Central Bank, a number of issues related to the expenditure of part of the initial six billion dollars were reviewed."

"It was agreed that, based on the needs communicated by our country, the required goods would be purchased and made available to Iran."

US Vice President JD Vance said technical negotiations between the US and Iran are continuing in Doha.

He said talks include measures to restore and secure shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

Vance said negotiators will soon begin discussions on Iran's nuclear programme, a key US priority.

Vance made the remarks while speaking to reporters in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Oil prices fall, with Brent below $72 a barrel and WTI trading near $68, as US-Iran peace talks in Doha showed progress, with US officials describing discussions as positive and President Donald Trump saying the meeting went well.

The current round of US-Iran indirect talks in Doha are focused primarily on maritime security and economic issues rather than Iran's nuclear programme.

According to the Iranian official, Tehran's priorities include:

-Reaching an agreement on the management of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

-Securing the release of $6 billion in frozen Iranian assets.

US President Donald Trump said the United States is "getting along very well" with Iran following recent talks in Qatar.

Trump said "the denuclearization of Iran is moving along well" and described the meetings as "very good."

The US president said Iran has "come a long way" and added, "I think they're fine."

US and Iranian officials held technical discussions in Doha focused on ensuring safe shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and securing a lasting ceasefire.

Iran and the United States began indirect talks with mediators in Doha on Wednesday in a push to advance negotiations and quell tensions following exchanges of fire between the two sides.

Both had said they would send officials to discuss their memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the Middle East war, but Iran insisted direct negotiations will not take place.

Turkey is rolling out sweeping security measures for the upcoming NATO summit, deploying tens of thousands of police and placing air defenses on high alert, while banning public gatherings and imposing controversial restrictions on freedom of expression and assembly.

Israel's defence minister said Wednesday that Israeli forces would remain in self-proclaimed "security zones" established in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza, without any timeline for withdrawal.

"The IDF will remain in the security zones in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza indefinitely in order to protect our residents and communities from jihadist elements," Israel Katz said.

"We will not withdraw from the security zones," Katz said at function held in honour of Israeli soldiers killed during the 2006 war in Lebanon.

A ship ran aground in the Strait of Hormuz after not running Iran's approved route through the water, Iranian state television reported Wednesday. The report identified the affected vessel as a foreign container ship, but offered no other immediate details.

The Iranian state TV report appeared aimed at underlining the claims Tehran has made since the US-Iran war to control over the strait, which has long been considered by the world as an international waterway and saw a fifth of all oil and natural gas pass through it in peacetime.

US and Iranian officials will hold indirect lower-level technical talks with mediators on Wednesday on a deal aimed at permanently ending the Middle East war, a diplomat with knowledge of the talks told AFP.

"US and Iranian officials are to hold indirect technical talks on Wednesday in Doha with Qatari and Pakistani mediators on the memorandum of understanding and building on the progress made at the Lake Lucerne Summit," the diplomat said.

US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff would not be taking part in the technical talks, the diplomat added, after they met with Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani on Tuesday.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has claimed that China is the only country that continues to purchase Iranian oil, while other nations are refraining from doing business with Tehran due to the US sanctions threat.

In an interview with Fox News, Bessent said that potential buyers of Iranian oil are uncertain about the future of US sanctions and fear that Washington may once again enforce strict oil restrictions on Iran.

He added that Iran has so far been unable to secure new clients for its oil, as many prospective buyers are waiting for clarity on the status of the sanctions.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he has spoken with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian about “recent developments” in West Asia.

Iran’s Chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, has revealed that the Islamic Republic was unable to export any oil during the US blockade on its ports. He, however, added that exports have since surged.

"From the day the blockade was lifted until today, we have exported more than 40 million barrels of oil," he said in an interview on state television on Tuesday. "By contrast, during the previous 50 to nearly 60 days, we were genuinely unable to export even a single barrel of oil."

Iranian authorities have said that representatives from over 90 countries around the world have expressed their readiness to attend the funeral ceremonies of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the former Supreme Leader of Iran, who was killed by the US-Israeli bombing in Tehran on February 28.

Ali Akbar Pourjamshidian, Iran's Deputy Interior Minister for Security Affairs and secretary of the funeral organizing committee, said that more than 30 countries have already submitted formal requests to send high-ranking delegations to the ceremonies.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said that his country will pursue legal action against the US torpedo attack on the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena, which was sunk on March 4, days after the war began.

According to Iran, 104 sailors on board IRIS Dena were killed in the strike when the unarmed ship was returning from a Naval exercise in India. Araghchi condemned the attack as a clear war crime, saying the vessel was hundreds of kilometers away from the war zone, unarmed, and on a routine training and ceremonial mission when it was struck without warning by a US submarine.

“What happened is undoubtedly a war crime that will be recorded in history,” Araghchi was quoted as saying by Press TV. “This action is not a naval victory, it only shows the enemy’s weakness.”

Araghchi said the Foreign Ministry’s legal department, in coordination with the Navy, is collecting all documents related to the incident for legal follow-up.

Qatar Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani met US Envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on Tuesday. They discussed developments in the ongoing talks between the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran within the framework of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the two parties, along with the efforts aimed at promoting security and stability in the region through dialogue and diplomacy.

US President Donald Trump has weighed a return to all-out war with Iran, holding multiple conversations in recent days with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine on more strikes, the Wall Street Journal has reported. S officials familiar with the discussion, however, told WSJ that Trump has decided to stick with diplomatic talks for now.

US Vice President JD Vance has claimed that technical talks between Washington and Tehran are underway in Qatar, despite Iran's public denials. Speaking on The Michael Knowles Show, Vance termed Iran’s public denials of ongoing talks as a deliberate “Persian negotiating tactic.”

“There were scheduled talks, really technical talks, building on the negotiation that we’ve already had. Those are definitely happening tomorrow,” Vance said.

He said he found Tehran’s public statements “fascinating and frustrating”, noting that Iranian officials deny peace talks while acknowledging technical discussions.

“They’ll say, ‘No, no, there aren’t peace talks ongoing, but there are technical talks between the United States and Iran about the peace deal’,” he added. “It’s a Persian negotiating tactic and a Persian rhetorical device that I don’t understand.”

The US and Iran were to meet in Doha on Tuesday, but the Iranians have insisted that there are no scheduled talks between the two sides in the coming days.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Tuesday hit out at US Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, who said he did a "happy dance" and "might've sung a song or two" when Iran was eliminated from the World Cup.

"Mission Accomplished, Mr. Mullin,” Araghchi said in a post on X.

“You also accomplished something else: proving to the world that you have no business hosting an international tournament. Your conduct has been a masterclass for how to squander the dignity that comes with being a host,” he added.