WASHINGTON; In a significant diplomatic development, the United States and Iran have reportedly agreed to stop all mutual attacks and will convene for high-level talks in Doha, Qatar, this Tuesday to resolve their ongoing dispute over the strategic Strait of Hormuz .
According to the Axios news website, which cited a senior US official, both sides have decided to suspend all “kinetic activity”—a military term for strikes and attacks—ahead of the discussions . “We decided to stop all the kinetic activity,” the senior US official stated . The Tuesday meeting was initially planned for Switzerland to address Iran’s nuclear program, but recent escalation prompted a shift in venue and agenda, focusing now on the Strait of Hormuz .
The development comes as the fragile 11-day-old ceasefire faces severe strain. Renewed fighting stemmed from competing interpretations of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) that ended the war, particularly provisions concerning the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global shipping lane . Under the MOU, Iran committed to ensuring safe passage for commercial vessels through the strait, while the US agreed to lift its blockade of Iranian ports .
In a further complication, a senior Iranian official confirmed that Iran did not participate in technical talks scheduled for Sunday. This was attributed to recent US attacks and what Iran described as the US violation of the MOU’s terms . “For example, one of the reasons is checking if we have access to the unfrozen funds; if there is no access, then this condition has not been fulfilled,” said Mehdi Fazaeili, a member of the Office of Preservation and Publication of the Works of Iran’s Supreme Leader . Despite this, a senior US official maintained that “nothing had been canceled” regarding the talks planned for this week .
