The United States and Iran announced separately on Monday that they would send delegations to Qatar this week, although Tehran insisted that no direct talks with Washington had been scheduled following a weekend of escalating tensions in the Persian Gulf.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran had requested a meeting with American officials and that both sides were expected to convene in Doha on Tuesday.
However, Iranian officials swiftly denied that any direct negotiations had been arranged. Kazem Gharibabadi, one of Tehran's senior negotiators, said no talks had been confirmed, while Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei stressed that Iran's delegation was travelling to Qatar to discuss issues related to the interim agreement through Qatari mediation, without involving the United States directly.
"There are no negotiation meetings with the U.S. side at any level scheduled in the coming days," Baghaei said.
The conflicting statements added to uncertainty surrounding efforts to end the war and implement an interim agreement reached earlier this month. The deal calls for Iran to dilute its stockpile of enriched uranium, eases U.S.-backed oil sanctions on Tehran, guarantees free navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and gives both sides 60 days to negotiate a broader settlement.
Pakistan, another key mediator in the process, had previously indicated that talks between Washington and Tehran would resume on Tuesday.
The diplomatic confusion came as tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway through which around one-fifth of the world's oil exports passed before the conflict erupted, remained high.
During the war, which began on February 28, attacks and threats in the strait severely disrupted shipping and triggered a global energy crisis. In recent days, Iran has twice targeted vessels in the waterway, including a tanker carrying Qatari crude, following efforts to reopen shipping lanes through Oman's territorial waters.
The attacks prompted retaliatory U.S. airstrikes and raised fears that negotiations aimed at formally ending the conflict could collapse. Iran also launched drone and missile strikes targeting Bahrain and Kuwait on Sunday.
Despite the latest escalation, both sides appeared to halt their attacks on Monday, fueling hopes that diplomacy could regain momentum.
According to a U.S. official familiar with the discussions, the Trump administration believes Washington and Tehran are stepping back from further military escalation and that commercial vessels can once again move freely through the Strait of Hormuz.
