Iran and the United States have agreed to halt recent hostilities in the Gulf and restart talks over their dispute surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, a US official said on Sunday, in a move aimed at stabilising a fragile interim peace deal that has been strained by days of tit-for-tat strikes.
“Technical talks are slated to continue on all areas of the MOU. Both sides will stand down for now and vessels can move freely,” the official said, referring to the 14-point memorandum of understanding agreed on June 17 under which the strategic waterway would be reopened to commercial shipping.
The announcement comes after several days of escalating military exchanges, including missile and drone strikes and attacks on shipping in one of the world’s most critical energy corridors.
Axios, citing a senior US official, reported that talks would resume on Tuesday in Qatar, signalling a return to diplomacy after renewed instability in the region.
The latest flare-up followed an incident on Thursday when an Iranian projectile struck a cargo vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, prompting both Washington and Tehran to accuse each other of violating the interim ceasefire agreement reached earlier in June.
Tensions escalated further on Sunday when Iran launched missile and drone attacks targeting US military sites in Kuwait and Bahrain. The strikes came shortly after US President Donald Trump warned that the Islamic Republic would face severe consequences if it failed to uphold the ceasefire terms.
“There may come a point when we are no longer able to be reasonable, and will be forced to complete the job that we very successfully started militarily,” Trump said on social media ahead of the Axios report.
“If that happens, the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist!” he added.
In parallel developments, Israel said it had again struck Iran-backed Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon, destroying underground infrastructure in a village area. The strikes followed earlier attacks and a ceasefire agreement with Lebanon announced just days earlier, underscoring the wider regional volatility.
Military activity also continued at sea and around Gulf states. The US military said it had carried out additional strikes on Iran hours after a tanker incident in the Strait of Hormuz. This key global shipping route has been heavily disrupted during the conflict.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said its forces had launched coordinated missile and drone operations against US sites in Kuwait and Bahrain, accusing Washington of breaching the ceasefire and warning that diplomatic efforts could collapse entirely.
“The Guards said U.S. strikes had violated the ceasefire and “will result in the complete halt of all diplomatic processes”, state-run Press TV reported. The IRGC added that American bases in the region “will experience hell in the coming days”.
A US official confirmed Iranian strikes on US facilities but said there were no casualties or significant damage, though the situation remained fluid.
In Bahrain, authorities reported damage to a residential building in Muharraq after an Iranian attack, while Kuwait said it intercepted two ballistic missiles with no reported casualties.
Separately, Qatar said one of its nationals died after sustaining injuries from shrapnel aboard a vessel that went missing during the unrest, while a second person was injured. The interior ministry said the incident was linked to military activity in the area but did not assign responsibility.
The 14-point interim agreement, reached on June 17, was intended to halt the fighting that began earlier this year and reopen the Strait of Hormuz while broader negotiations continued on issues including Iran’s nuclear programme.
Despite the latest pause in hostilities, analysts say the situation remains highly unstable, with repeated violations and ongoing military activity continuing to test the durability of the ceasefire.
Reuters
