U.S., Iran agree to halt attacks after counterattack; Qatar to host Strait of Hormuz talks on Tuesday
The United States and Iran agreed to halt counterattacks and resume talks in the Qatari capital Doha on Tuesday to resolve their dispute in the Strait of Hormuz, after days of military escalation that threatened to undermine a fragile ceasefire.The news comes after several rounds of attacks around the Strait of Hormuz. The United States struck at Iranian military targets after accusing Tehran of violating a ceasefire agreement by attacking merchant ships. Iran responded by launching ballistic missiles and drones at U.S. military bases in Bahrain and Kuwait, and the two sides exchanged new warnings about further escalation.The two countries have now agreed to stop attacking each other and continue technical talks in Doha, Axios reported.“We decided to cease all dynamic activities,” a senior U.S. official told Axios, referring to military strikes and other attacks.Another U.S. official said the two sides would cease contact “temporarily” and “vessels will be able to sail freely” while technical discussions continue. Both officials confirmed that talks are scheduled to take place in Doha on Tuesday.The renewed fighting stems from differing interpretations of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed earlier this month to end the conflict, specifically Article 5 concerning navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.Under the deal, Iran pledged to do its utmost to ensure the safe passage of commercial ships through the strategic waterway, while the United States agreed to lift blockades of Iranian ports.During last week’s negotiations in Switzerland, the U.S. delegation led by Vice President Vance also agreed to establish a direct “hotline” between U.S. forces and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to coordinate shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. However, U.S. officials said the communications channel remained inoperable as Iran again insisted that ships must coordinate passage with Tehran.The technical talks were originally scheduled to be held in Switzerland and would focus on Iran’s nuclear programme. However, the latest escalation has shifted the venue to Doha, and so has the agenda to resolve the Strait of Hormuz dispute.This comes after Iran announced it was canceling technical talks on Sunday, citing recent U.S. attacks and saying Washington had failed to fulfill the conditions of the memorandum.Mehdi Fazaeli, a member of the Office for the Preservation and Publication of the Works of Iran’s Supreme Leader, told Iranian state television that one of the reasons for suspending the talks was the inability to obtain Iranian funds.“For example, one of the reasons is to check whether we have access to unfrozen funds, and if not, then this condition has not been met,” he said.
