WASHINGTON/DOHA: The United States and Iran have agreed to suspend recent hostilities in the Gulf and resume technical negotiations over their dispute concerning the Strait of Hormuz, according to a US official, easing fears that the interim peace agreement reached earlier this month was on the verge of collapse.
The official said both sides had agreed to “stand down” while technical discussions on the 14-point memorandum of understanding (MoU), signed on June 17, continue. Under the agreement, commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz will resume, with further talks scheduled to take place in Qatar on Tuesday.
The renewed diplomatic push follows several days of escalating military exchanges after an Iranian projectile struck a cargo vessel in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday. Washington and Tehran had accused each other of violating the June 17 interim ceasefire.
Earlier on Sunday, Iran launched missiles and drones targeting US military facilities in Kuwait and Bahrain, hours after US President Donald Trump warned that Iran would “cease to exist” if it failed to honour the peace agreement. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying they were in response to US strikes that violated the ceasefire.
US officials confirmed Iranian attacks on American facilities but said there were no reported US casualties or significant damage. Kuwait said its air defences intercepted two ballistic missiles without casualties, while Bahrain reported damage to a residential building in Muharraq Province after an Iranian attack, though no injuries were reported. Bahrain has requested an urgent UN Security Council meeting over the incident.
Separately, the US military conducted fresh strikes against Iranian targets following an attack on an oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical energy shipping routes.
Despite the renewed violence, diplomatic contacts remain active. The interim agreement, brokered on June 17, was intended to halt fighting that began on February 28, reopen the Strait of Hormuz to international shipping, and create space for negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme and broader regional security issues.
Meanwhile, Israel said it carried out fresh strikes against Iran-backed Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon on Sunday, days after reaching a separate ceasefire arrangement with Lebanon. Tehran has maintained that stability in Lebanon is essential for the broader regional agreement to endure.
In a separate development, Qatar confirmed that one of its nationals died after sustaining injuries from shrapnel aboard a vessel affected by military operations in the Gulf, while another person was injured. Authorities did not specify responsibility for the incident.