US and Iran Agree to Halt Strikes and Keep Strait of Hormuz Open as Talks Resume

Iran and the United States have agreed to halt direct strikes and allow commercial vessels to move through the Strait of Hormuz, according to a US official, in an effort to prevent a broader conflict and preserve a peace arrangement reached less than two weeks ago.

“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 signed on June 17 that was intended to reopen the strategic waterway to shipping traffic.

According to Axios, negotiations are expected to resume on Tuesday in Doha, Qatar. The stand-down follows several days of escalating attacks that damaged ships, targeted US military facilities in Gulf states and resulted in at least one death.

The latest escalation began on Thursday after an Iranian projectile struck a cargo vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical energy transit routes. The United States responded with strikes on Iranian targets, after which Iran launched missiles and drones at US military facilities in Kuwait and Bahrain early on Sunday.

Kuwait said its air defence systems intercepted two ballistic missiles and reported no casualties or damage. Bahrain said an Iranian strike damaged a residential building in Muharraq province but caused no casualties. The kingdom later called for an urgent United Nations Security Council meeting to hold Iran accountable.

A US official told Reuters that there were no American casualties and no major damage to US facilities across the region, although assessments were still ongoing.

Qatar’s interior ministry said one Qatari national died after suffering injuries from shrapnel aboard a vessel reported missing on Saturday. Another person was injured in the same incident, which officials linked to military activity in the area without giving further details.

Shortly before the agreement was announced, US President Donald Trump warned that military action could resume if Iran failed to uphold the peace arrangement. “If that happens, the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist,” Trump wrote on social media.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said regional countries must not allow their territory or facilities to be used to launch attacks against Iran. He also argued that Washington bore direct responsibility for ending Israeli strikes in Lebanon, which have continued despite a US-brokered agreement signed on June 26 between Israel, Lebanon and the United States. Hezbollah, which has continued exchanging fire with Israel in southern Lebanon, was not part of that agreement and has rejected it.

The interim 14-point framework was originally designed to halt fighting that began on February 28 and reopen the Strait of Hormuz while negotiations continued over Iran’s nuclear programme and other unresolved issues.

One round of mediated talks involving US Vice President JD Vance and Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf took place in Switzerland last week. Washington temporarily eased sanctions on Tehran during that period, but fighting resumed shortly afterwards.

Both sides have since accused each other of breaching the ceasefire. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said US strikes violated the agreement and warned American military bases in the region would face consequences, while Washington said Iranian attacks failed to hit their intended targets.

Despite the latest pause in fighting, major issues remain unresolved, including tensions in Lebanon, maritime security in Hormuz and Iran’s nuclear programme, placing renewed focus on the upcoming talks in Doha.