Latest news US, Iran LIVE: Qatar says technical talks continue after row over Netanyahu's Lebanon visit

This live blog is now closed. For continued updates, read hereLatest news US, Iran highlights: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited occupied southern Lebanon on Tuesday and said Israeli troops would remain there until Hezbollah no longer posed a threat. His visit came days after a US-mediated security agreement under which Israel is expected to hand over two areas to the Lebanese army.Netanyahu said Hezbollah still has thousands of rockets and missiles, while Israel maintains its military presence in a buffer zone along the border despite a ceasefire agreed earlier this month.US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have arrived in Doha for mediated talks on implementing the initial US-Iran deal aimed at ending the war in Iran.Iran says there will be no meeting with US officials in Doha in the coming days. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said that discussions will instead focus on implementing parts of the US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding, including the release of Iran’s restricted assets, through Qatari mediators. Qatar has separately confirmed that $6 billion in frozen Iranian funds has not yet been transferred to Tehran.The Doha dramaUS President Donald Trump said Iran had requested a meeting in Qatar on Tuesday, even as Tehran denied that any direct negotiations with Washington were planned on the agreement aimed at ending the war in West Asia.Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesperson for Iran's foreign ministry, said the country's delegation was travelling to Qatar, which has played a key role in mediation, to discuss the terms of the interim agreement without any direct involvement from the US.Strait of Hormuz in focusIran's control over the strategically important Strait of Hormuz has remained a source of repeated tensions.The latest escalation came early on Sunday when US Central Command said it had struck 10 Iranian military targets in response to what it described as "continued Iranian aggression against commercial shipping".Iran said it responded by launching strikes on US bases in Kuwait and Bahrain.The issue of the waterway continues to be one of the main obstacles in the negotiations.The Strait of Hormuz is bordered by Iran and Oman. Before the conflict began, around one fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas passed through the route. Iran said on Monday that it had held its first talks with Oman since the agreement was signed.Tehran announces release of frozen Iranian assetsIranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Monday that $6 billion of the $12 billion in Iranian assets frozen in Qatar would be released and returned to Tehran, according to Iranian state media.He called the memorandum, which includes US waivers on sanctions related to Iran's oil and petrochemical sectors, "a great victory for the Iranian people."Oil prices fall over potential Iran-US talksOil prices fell on Tuesday as investors awaited the outcome of possible talks between the US and Iran in Doha.Brent crude futures for August delivery, which expire on Tuesday, fell 1.03 per cent, or 75 cents, to $72.40 a barrel at 0038 GMT. The more actively traded September contract was down 0.54 per cent, or 40 cents, at $73.51 a barrel.US West Texas Intermediate crude dropped 0.66 per cent, or 47 cents, to $70.32 a barrel.US-Iran peace dealThe US and Iran allowed themselves at least 60 days to implement the 14 point memorandum of understanding. The agreement is intended to extend the April ceasefire, hold discussions on Iran's nuclear programme and negotiate a lasting truce.However, progress has been slow, with both sides accusing each other of failing to honour the agreed terms.Israel has stayed out of the US-Iran peace negotiations and has kept its distance from the agreement. At the same time, tensions between Washington and Tehran have made efforts to end the fighting in Lebanon more difficult.