Indirect technical talks between the United States and Iran are underway in Doha, with Qatar and Pakistan serving as mediators, a source with direct knowledge of the discussions told Reuters on Wednesday.
U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner met Qatar's prime minister on Tuesday to lay the groundwork for Wednesday's technical sessions but are not attending the talks themselves, the source said.
U.S. President Donald Trump has weighed a return to war with Iran in recent days, holding multiple conversations with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine regarding the possibility of more strikes, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.
U.S. President Donald Trump, this week.Credit: Evan Vucci/Reuters
U.S. President Donald Trump, this week.Credit: Evan Vucci/Reuters
Qatar's Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, who also serves as the country's foreign minister, met with U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
According to the ministry, the meeting focused on the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding, "along with the efforts aimed at promoting security and stability in the region through dialogue and diplomacy," and addressed regional developments, including the cease-fire in Lebanon."There are currently no high-level meetings between the Iranian and American parties under the adopted negotiation mechanism," a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said, according to CNN.
The United Nations issued a warning that the continued expansion of territory controlled by Israeli forces in Gaza is "intensifying risks to civilians and further constraining humanitarian efforts."
Since the October 2025 cease-fire agreement, the United Nations has verified the killing of 196 Palestinians in attacks near Israeli troops, with many killed while "moving through areas lacking clear demarcation on the ground." OCHA said that many more have been wounded.
"Humanitarian access remains severely constrained due to restrictions on movement which results in delays or pauses in life-saving activities," according to OCHA. "Most Palestinians in Gaza have been displaced multiple times and are now concentrated in increasingly limited areas, living amid insecurity and violence. Access to essential services is already strained by the insufficient entry of critical goods into Gaza. This situation is further compounded by the continued expansion and shifting of deployment lines."
In a statement cosigned by the United Nations and humanitarian NGOs, the Humanitarian Country Team call for an end to the targeting of Palestinians "for being in areas close to Israeli forces" as well as "safe and unimpeded humanitarian access into and across all parts of the Gaza Strip."
A Congress committee canceled a vote on an amendment to block U.S. funding to the Israeli military on Tuesday.
Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna, who co-sponsored the amendment alongside Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, blamed the "pro-Israel lobby" for blocking the vote in a post on X.
Congress has blocked the amendment @RepThomasMassie and I introduced to stop the integration of our military with Israel’s. It is unconscionable to not even have a vote. We will be continuing on and will not be intimidated by the pro-Israel lobby.
"Congress has blocked Thomas Massie and my amendment to prevent the integration of our military with Israel," Khanna said. "This is unconscionable. They're not even giving us a vote on the amendment. Thomas and I will continue to fight to make sure we don't compromise American sovereignty."
The amendment would prohibit funds from the National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations Act "from being used for Israel, and accordingly reduces the Foreign Military Financing Program account by $3.3 billion."
Massie also proposed to reduce $2.1 billion in funding from programming in Jordan and $1.4 billion in assistance for Egypt, according to the amendments submitted to the Committee on Rules.
Emergency response services in Shfaram on Wednesday morning.Credit: Magen David AdomEmergency response services in Shfaram on Wednesday morning.Credit: Magen David Adom
Three people were killed across Israeli localities within less than an hour on Wednesday morning: In Netanya, a rabbi in his 70s was fatally stabbed inside a synagogue, police said they are pursuing the stabbing suspect, who is known to law enforcement; in the northern Israeli Arab city of Shfaram, a 24-year old bus driver was shot dead on his way to work, police said the incident had criminal motives; a 21-year-old resident of the Bedouin town Basmat Tiv'on was shot dead in the parking lot of a shopping complex in the nearby Yagur, police are investigating the homicide as linked to criminal motives.
According to Haaretz's tally, 172 people have been killed in Israel since the beginning of the year. Eleven people have been killed since the start of this week.
Melat Kiros, a 29-year-old Democrat, is projected to win her Colorado House primary in the latest major victory for progressives demanding fundamental changes to the U.S.-Israel relationship.
Melat Kiros participates in a League of Women Voters Congressional District 1 candidate forum at Montview Presbyterian Church on May 28, 2026, in Denver.Credit: RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post via APMelat Kiros participates in a League of Women Voters Congressional District 1 candidate forum at Montview Presbyterian Church on May 28, 2026, in Denver.Credit: RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post via AP
She joins an anticipated slate of freshman lawmakers – including three recent victors in New York, a doctor in New Jersey who volunteered in Gaza, a pastor in Texas and a local lawmaker in Pennsylvania – who have vowed to make altering the status quo in U.S.-Israel ties a priority as representatives in Congress.
Kiros is expected to face a glidepath toward election in November's general election in the state's heavily Democratic 1st congressional district – one which holds the state's largest Jewish population. She successfully unseated longtime Rep. Diana DeGette, who has served for nearly the entirety of Kiros' life.
U.S. President Donald Trump has weighed a return to war with Iran in recent days, holding multiple conversations with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine regarding the possibility of more strikes, according to official U.S. sources reported by The Wall Street Journal.
However, according to the sources, Trump has decided at this stage to stick with the diplomatic track.
The officials said the conversations centered on whether the U.S. should abandon negotiations and launch a full-scale attack against Iran, a move some of them described as "finishing the job."
According to the report, Trump told aides he believes another round of attacks could derail diplomatic contacts and reduce the chances of ultimately dismantling Iran's nuclear program. Therefore, according to the sources, he currently prefers to settle for targeted strikes against Iran when it violates the "memorandum of understanding."
In addition, administration sources acknowledged that resuming the war would be a tacit admission that the deal with Iran failed.
