U.S.-Iran talks to continue, ‘both sides’ pausing strikes
‘Both sides will stand down for now and vessels can move freely.’
Daily Tribune‘Both sides will stand down for now and vessels can move freely.’
THE Strait of Hormuz again sparked exchanges of fire between the United States and Iran.
Photograph courtesy of AFP
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States and Iran have agreed to stop attacking each other and plan to meet and resume talks aimed at ending the Middle East war, a US official said late Sunday.
US and Iranian forces traded strikes in recent days despite a fragile 17 June memorandum of understanding (MoU) that seeks a comprehensive end of the conflict that began in late February and disrupted shipping through the vital Strait of Hormuz.
Under that agreement, Tehran committed to allow safe passage of commercial vessels through the strait while Washington agreed to lift its blockade of Iranian ports.
“Technical talks are slated to continue on all areas of the MoU,” a US official told Agence France-Presse in an email. “Both sides will stand down for now and vessels can move freely.”
The official did not provide details on what day or where the talks would take place, but two US officials and a third source with knowledge of the matter told American media outlet Axios that discussions would resume Tuesday in Qatar.
CNN reported similar comments citing a Trump administration official, saying the two sides will “stand down for now” and that they have agreed to meet in Doha on Tuesday for further talks.
US President Donald Trump repeated past threats of military action if the Iranian strikes continue, saying on Saturday that Iran would “no longer exist” if the US is “forced” to resume the war.
In the days since the signing of a Pakistan-brokered agreement aimed at ending the war, the US and Iran have engaged in tit-for-tat attacks blaming each other for violating their ceasefire.
The latest flareup came early Sunday, when the US military said it had attacked 10 Iranian military targets over “continued Iranian aggression against commercial shipping.”
Meanwhile, Iran’s foreign ministry said Monday it had held the first meeting with Oman on managing the Strait of Hormuz since Tehran and Washington signed their preliminary deal to end the Middle East war.
“During a trip to Muscat, the first meeting of the Joint Hormuz Committee was held,” said Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi on X.
“While reviewing the current issues related to the strait, we exchanged views on the future management,” he added.