Doha: Doha will host separate preparatory meetings this week involving mediators and representatives from the United States and Iran ahead of a formal signing ceremony in Switzerland on Friday, according to the Financial Times. Qatar and Pakistan have led mediation efforts that helped secure an agreement to extend a 60-day ceasefire, gradually reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and establish a framework for negotiations on Iran's nuclear programme.

A senior US administration official told Reuters that President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf have already signed a memorandum of understanding electronically ahead of Friday's ceremony. Under the agreement, Iran would gradually reopen the Strait of Hormuz as mines are cleared during the first 30 days, while Washington would lift its naval blockade on Iranian ports. The accord also establishes a framework for negotiations over Iran's enriched uranium stockpile.

Qatari negotiators travelled to Tehran on Sunday and held 17 hours of intensive talks with Iranian officials, diplomats said. Financial markets reacted positively, with oil prices falling on expectations that energy supplies and shipping routes could gradually return to normal. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior Israeli officials insist Israeli troops will continue to occupy southern Lebanon, Gaza, and Syria despite the agreement.

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