DUBAI : Indirect talks in Doha between officials from 
the United States and Iran aimed at ending the Middle East war have started, 
a diplomat with knowledge of the talks told AFP on Wendesday.

The diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive 
talks, confirmed negotiations were underway after they earlier said the US 
and Iran were to hold "indirect technical talks on Wednesday in Doha with 
Qatari and Pakistani mediators".

The Doha talks are based "on the memorandum of understanding, building on the 
progress made at the Lake Lucerne Summit," the diplomat said, referring to 
recent talks in the Swiss resort town and the negotiating framework endorsed 
by the two sides in June.

US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff are not 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.

Both the US and Iran had said they would send officials for meetings in 
Qatar.

The US-Iran memorandum of understanding, brokered by Qatar and Pakistan, 
includes a 60-day ceasefire in the war that started with US-Israeli strikes 
on February 28, the reopening of the blockaded Strait of Hormuz and a 
timeframe for a final deal to end the war and reach an agreement on Iran's 
nuclear programme.

Iranian officials were set to travel to Doha on Wednesday but Tehran denied 
an earlier claim by US President Donald Trump that there would be direct 
talks.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei confirmed the Iranian 
delegation would be led by Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi but said 
the officials "have no plans for negotiations with the American side at any 
level over the coming days".

Kushner and Witkoff instead met with the Qatari prime minister on Tuesday, 
the Gulf state's foreign ministry said.

The trio discussed "the ongoing talks between the United States of America 
and the Islamic Republic of Iran within the framework of the memorandum of 
understanding," the ministry said in a statement, adding that they also 
discussed developments in Lebanon.