U.S. and Iranian negotiators held separate discussions with Qatari and Pakistani mediators on Wednesday, with host Qatar reporting “positive progress” and both sides agreeing to continue diplomatic engagements. The next round of talks will be scheduled “at the earliest possible time” following the funeral of Iran’s former supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, which is set to begin Saturday in Tehran, according to Majed al-Ansari, a spokesman for Qatar’s Foreign Ministry.

Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, and Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, were in Qatar for the negotiations aimed at securing a permanent end to the conflict, alongside Iran’s top negotiator, Kazem Gharibabadi. Negotiators are working to resolve outstanding issues to clear the way for leaders to finalize an agreement, though significant differences over the Strait of Hormuz and Lebanon remain major obstacles.

The Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas trade typically passes, has become a central flashpoint. Since the U.S. and Israel launched military action against Iran on Feb. 28, Tehran has leveraged its ability to disrupt the waterway as a primary source of leverage, roiling global markets for energy and other vital goods. An interim deal had allowed ships to transit without fees for 60 days, but Iran has insisted on controlling vessel routes and eventually charging passage fees—a demand the U.S. and many Gulf Arab states have rejected.

Tensions flared further when Iranian state television reported Wednesday that a foreign container ship ran aground in the strait after using a route not approved by Tehran. The report appeared designed to underscore Iran’s claims of control over the waterway, which the international community has long regarded as an international passage. Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard has repeatedly warned that “any entry or exit through routes other than the ‘Route of Authority’ in the Persian Gulf could lead to irreparable incidents.” The report made no mention of two ships Iran recently attacked for attempting to transit the strait without Tehran’s permission, including one carrying crude oil from Qatar.

Witkoff and Kushner met Wednesday with Qatar’s ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and its foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, according to a Qatari government statement. Discussions covered details related to traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, Vice President JD Vance told reporters in the United States. “Obviously, we’re worried about the nuclear issue,” Vance said. “We’re going to start talking about that.”

Sheikh Mohammed also met with Gharibabadi and other Iranian officials, with Pakistani mediators also present. Gharibabadi said the Iranian delegation held no direct talks with the American side, and its discussions with mediators focused on Lebanon and plans to return some of Iran’s frozen assets, Iranian state media reported.

Lebanon remains a contentious issue in the negotiations. Iran has demanded that all fighting cease between the Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah and Israeli military forces, and has called for Israel to relinquish the land it now occupies in southern Lebanon. Israel, however, insists it must retain the territory and maintain a free hand to strike Hezbollah, which has been launching attacks on northern Israel.

Despite the weekend attacks that disrupted ship traffic in the strait, more countries report that their vessels have successfully departed. The Thai Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that 10 of 11 Thai-flagged vessels or vessels chartered by Thai operators have left the strait safely, while South Korean officials said all but two of the country’s 26 stranded vessels have safely departed.

In a separate development Wednesday, a U.S. Navy MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter made an emergency water landing into the Arabian Sea, leaving one crew member missing, the Navy’s 5th Fleet said in a statement. The Navy said there was “no indication the emergency was caused by hostile action.” Three of the helicopter’s four crew members were rescued, and the Navy was searching for the missing crew member. The helicopter was assigned to the USS George H.W. Bush, one of two aircraft carriers deployed in waters off Iran.