Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Iran will not grant International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) access to bombed or damaged sites, adding that inspections are limited under law to two locations: the Bushehr nuclear power plant and the Tehran research reactor.
Hardline lawmaker Kamran Ghazanfari said what he described as a “political coup” is being carried out against Iran’s supreme leader, adding that efforts are underway to scale back street ceremonies and reduce the influence of institutions aligned with him.
"Pezeshkian and those around him are strengthening the Supreme National Security Council and diminishing the role of the supreme leader and parliament. They have devised a plan to sideline the leadership of the system. Their plan is to make the Supreme National Security Council the sole decision-making body. It is a kind of political coup that they are advancing step by step. The people must remain mobilized to neutralize this conspiracy," he said in a video posted on X on Wednesday.
Ghazanfari said large sums of money were being used to discourage eulogists and speakers from taking part in nightly public gatherings.
"A letter has been sent to the Basij instructing them not to support these gatherings. Parliament has also been effectively shut down for four months so that representatives cannot protest this so-called political coup against the leadership of the system," he added.
Qatari and Pakistani mediators held separate meetings with US and Iranian negotiators in Doha on Wednesday, making "positive progress" on issues related to the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, Qatar's foreign ministry spokesperson said.
"Qatar & Pakistan mediators concluded separate meetings with the US & Iranian negotiators in Doha today, with positive progress made on issues related to the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, building on the outcomes of the Lake Lucerne Summit," Majed Al Ansari posted on X.
"The parties agreed to continue discussions over the coming period, with the next meeting to be scheduled at the earliest possible time following the funeral processions of the former Iranian Supreme Leader," he added.
Amir Hossein Jafari, hardline cleric criticized Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf over his defense of engagement with the United States, saying talks with what he called the "murderer of the Imam of the nation" would neither protect Iranians' rights nor solve the country's problems.
"Mr. Ghalibaf! You could be our political leader, our president, our parliament speaker, and... you could be absolutely in charge of everything for us! But understand that sitting with the killer of the Imam of the Ummah does not fulfill any right of the nation-far from it, it only makes the knots of the country's issues tighter and more complicated!" Jafari posted on X.
Iran said its Doha meetings with mediators had concluded Wednesday as US President Donald Trump said recent meetings in Qatar had been positive and Tehran’s denuclearization was progressing well.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said the Iranian delegation’s talks in Doha had concluded, state news agency IRNA reported. He said the meetings were held with Qatari and Pakistani delegations and without the presence of a US delegation.
Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani held talks in Doha on Wednesday with US envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on US-Iran negotiations and developments in Lebanon, the Amiri Diwan said.
A source with direct knowledge of the talks earlier told Reuters that indirect technical talks between Washington and Tehran had begun in Doha on Wednesday, mediated by Qatar and Pakistan. A senior Iranian official told Reuters the talks focused on Iran’s frozen assets and the Strait of Hormuz.
Doha talks and de-escalation
Axios reported, citing a US official, that Washington and Tehran had reached an understanding to “keep things quiet” for the coming week to allow progress on the memorandum of understanding “without missiles flying.”
“We have reached an understanding that we will keep things quiet for the coming week, so progress on all aspects of the MOU can be worked on in a productive environment, without missiles flying,” Axios quoted the official as saying.
The official added that Trump had been clear that “every time they shoot, we will shoot more — and at targets that further degrade their position in the Strait.”
Gharibabadi said a communication channel would be established to report and discuss breaches of the memorandum of understanding. He also said part of Iran’s $6 billion in frozen funds would be used to buy goods based on Tehran’s needs.
But Axios cited US officials as denying that any understanding had been reached in Doha on releasing the first tranche of frozen Iranian funds held in Qatar. Israeli outlet i24NEWS also reported, citing a US official, that no Iranian assets would be released unless the conditions of the memorandum of understanding were met.
US Vice President JD Vance said Washington still had “options” if Iran rebuilt its nuclear program, threatened its neighbors or funded terrorism. White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly said negotiations were continuing toward a final deal to eliminate Iran’s nuclear capabilities, but warned that the United States would fire back if Tehran attacked.
Hormuz remains flashpoint
The Strait of Hormuz remained central to the talks and to the fragile truce. Two senior Iranian sources told Reuters that Tehran was seeking international recognition of its control over the waterway, including the right to charge ships passing through it, and was prepared to use force if needed.
The sources said Iran would not move to other issues in peace talks with the United States until the matter was resolved and planned to begin charging ships for passage in mid-August if the interim agreement expired without an extension.
Shipping employers and unions said they would continue to treat Hormuz as a war zone until at least July 9, keeping double pay and refusal rights for covered seafarers after attacks killed at least 14 seafarers and hit more than 40 ships.
Iranian state TV said a foreign ship had run aground in the Strait of Hormuz after sailing outside a route designated by Iran. Tanker Trackers said the vessel was the Comoros-flagged tanker ARISTA, part of a US-sanctioned network linked to Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani, son of Iran’s slain security chief Ali Shamkhani.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency warned airlines to continue avoiding airspace over Iran, Iraq and Lebanon and to exercise caution across the wider Middle East, citing uncertainty over the durability of the US-Iran ceasefire.
Israel warns of further Iran strikes
Article 1 of the memorandum of understanding concerns the ceasefire in Lebanon, where Washington has told Tehran it intends to restrain Israel and ensure it abides by the truce.
During the Doha talks, US negotiators told Iran they intended to continue restraining Israel and ensure it abides by the ceasefire in Lebanon, according to a regional source cited by Axios. The source said Washington viewed Israel’s withdrawal from two pilot zones in southern Lebanon as a first step that could lead to further withdrawals if properly implemented.
But on Wednesday Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would remain in a “protective strip” in southern Lebanon for as long as necessary, while adding that Israel would “do everything” to eventually reach a peace agreement with Lebanon.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz also said Israel had twice carried out “proactive preemptive attacks” against Iran and would strike a third time if necessary.
“We crushed the nuclear program it was advancing and removed an existential threat from over the citizens of Israel,” Katz said.
Netanyahu also said a third confrontation with Iran was possible “if necessary.”
US Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper and senior military officials from 11 Middle Eastern countries discussed the regional security environment and ways to strengthen defense cooperation, CENTCOM said on Wednesday.
The officials were from Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
“Leaders underscored their shared commitment to the free flow of commerce through the Strait of Hormuz,” CENTCOM said.