The United States and Iran have agreed to halt recent hostilities in the Gulf and renew discussions regarding their dispute over the Strait of Hormuz, a US official confirmed on Sunday. This development raises hopes for salvaging an interim peace deal that had been under severe pressure following days of tit-for-tat strikes.
Details of the Agreement
The official stated, “Technical talks are slated to continue on all areas of the MOU. Both sides will stand down for now, and vessels can move freely.” This refers to the 14-point memorandum of understanding agreed upon on June 17, under which the Strait of Hormuz was to be reopened for maritime traffic. Axios, which first reported the cessation of hostilities citing a senior US official, indicated that talks would resume on Tuesday in Qatar.
Recent Escalation
The return to diplomacy follows several days of strikes and counterstrikes since an Iranian projectile hit a cargo vessel in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday. Both the US and Iran accused each other of breaking the interim ceasefire that was agreed on June 17. Iran launched missiles and drones at US military sites in Kuwait and Bahrain early on Sunday, shortly after US President Donald Trump threatened that the Islamic Republic would cease to exist if it did not honor the agreement to end the war.
Regional Developments
Israel claimed on Sunday it had once again struck Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon, saying it destroyed underground infrastructure used by the group in a village in southern Lebanon. This came after another strike on Saturday, closely following its latest ceasefire deal with Lebanon on Friday. Iran has stated that the fighting in Lebanon must end for the wider agreement to hold.
The US military said earlier it had struck Iran again, hours after a tanker was hit in the Strait of Hormuz, the world's most important energy shipping route, which Tehran has largely closed for most of the conflict.
Trump's Threats
“There may come a point when we are no longer able to be reasonable, and will be forced to militarily complete the job that we very successfully started,” Trump said on social media, before the Axios report. “If that happens, the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist!” he added.
Background of the Peace Accord
The 14-point interim peace accord was meant to halt the fighting, which the US and Israel started on February 28, and reopen the strait while talks proceeded on issues such as Iran's nuclear program. One round of mediated talks, led by Vice President JD Vance and Iran's parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, was held in Switzerland a week ago, and Washington waived sanctions on Tehran. However, fighting has since resumed and intensified.
Attacks and Responses
About an hour after Trump's post, Kuwait's army said its air defenses were responding to missile and drone attacks, while Bahrain reported sirens had sounded. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said in a statement its navy and air forces had launched missile and drone operations targeting US military sites in Kuwait and Bahrain. The Guards said US strikes had violated the ceasefire and “will result in the complete halt of all diplomatic processes,” according to state-run Press TV. The IRGC Navy command said American bases in the region “will experience hell in the coming days.”
A US official, confirming Iran had targeted US facilities, told Reuters there were no reported US casualties or major damage to US sites in the Middle East, but the situation was still unfolding.
Further Incidents
Hours later, alarms sounded for a second time in Bahrain, where authorities said an Iranian attack damaged a residential building in Muharraq province, with no casualties reported. Bahrain urged the UN Security Council to hold an urgent session to hold Iran accountable. The Kuwaiti army said it had intercepted two ballistic missiles with no damage or casualties.
Separately, Qatar said one of its nationals had died after sustaining injuries from shrapnel aboard a vessel that had gone missing on Saturday. A second person was injured in the incident, which was due to “military operations in the area,” the interior ministry said, without giving a location or apportioning blame.
