Iran and the US concluded ​a round of indirect talks on Wednesday with no sign they had made headway toward a lasting peace, focusing instead on ‌issues that they said had been resolved when an interim agreement was announced two weeks ago, reported Reuters.

Sources familiar with the discussions said negotiators for the two countries spent two days in Doha discussing maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz and unfreezing Iran's funds, two critical issues under the initial agreement.

The leader of Iran's delegation, Deputy ‌Foreign Minister ⁠Kazem Gharibabadi, said the talks concluded. Neither side said whether they had managed to bridge any of their differences.

The next meeting will take place after funeral processions for ​Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who is due to be buried on July 9, Qatar's Foreign Ministry said.

The Doha discussions ​produced "positive progress" on issues related to the memorandum that halted the war in June and were "building on the outcomes" of ⁠a summit in Switzerland, the ministry spokesperson said in a post on X.

In Washington, US President Donald Trump said the two sides were making progress ​on possible limits to Iran's nuclear program — the main reason he launched the war along with Israel in February. "The denuclearization of Iran is moving along well," ​he told reporters. "They've had very good meetings, and we'll see."

But the sources said the nuclear program did not come up in the talks, which were technical in nature.

US Vice President JD Vance said that matter would be addressed later. “Obviously, we're worried about the nuclear issue, we're going to start talking about that," he told reporters.

American and Iranian negotiators held ​separate meetings with Qatari and Pakistani mediators, Qatar's foreign ministry said.

According to the IRNA news agency, Gharibabadi said participants agreed that "a communication channel would be established by tomorrow" to report and record "violations" of the memorandum of understanding. 

An Iranian source said the country's priorities include the release of $6 billion in Iranian frozen assets, and the future management of the Strait of Hormuz.

Meanwhile an American official said for US, the top job was to ensure the free flow of shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, reported DW. 

He said there had been 'intensive diplomatic activity' on Lebanon between parties including the US.

A diplomat speaking to AFP news agency said US envoys - Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and top US envoy Steve Witkoff - were not taking part in the technical talks, but had met Qatar's prime minister to lay the groundwork. The White House earlier said the pair would be attending 'high-level meetings.'