Trump says US-Iran relations improving after Qatar talks on denuclearisation

President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the United States was 'getting along very well' with Iran and that recent indirect talks in Qatar had gone well. The discussions, held at a lower level, focused on the details of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) and aimed to build on progress made at an earlier summit in Lake Lucerne, Switzerland.

'The denuclearisation of Iran is moving along well,' Trump told reporters. 'They've had very good meetings, and we'll see.' He added that Iran had 'come a long way' and said, 'I think they're fine.'

The Qatar talks were held behind the scenes, with no direct negotiations between the two sides, as Iran had insisted. A diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the talks were intended to 'build on the progress made at the Lake Lucerne Summit.'

Meanwhile, Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, head of the Iranian delegation, announced that the participants had agreed to establish a communication channel by the next day to report and record violations of the initial MoU. The war between the two countries began with U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February.

Gharibabadi also said the discussions touched on the fate of frozen Iranian assets, which Tehran has demanded be released as part of any settlement. '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,' he said. 'It was agreed that, based on the needs communicated by our country, the required goods would be purchased and made available to Iran.'

The developments come amid ongoing tensions, but the establishment of a communication channel suggests a potential step towards de-escalation. Both sides have yet to comment on the specifics of the MoU or the timeline for further talks.