WASHINGTON — The United States and Iran have agreed to halt hostilities and meet in Qatar on Tuesday for talks aimed at resolving their dispute over the Strait of Hormuz, Axios reported on Sunday, citing senior US officials.
According to the report, the latest round of fighting was triggered by differing interpretations of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) that ended the recent conflict, particularly provisions governing navigation through the strategic waterway.
“We decided to stop all the kinetic activity,” a senior US official told Axios, referring to military strikes and other combat operations.
Under the MOU, Iran committed to making its best efforts to ensure the safe passage of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, while the United States agreed to lift its blockade of Iranian ports.
Axios reported that during negotiations in Switzerland last week, US Vice President JD Vance and the Iranian delegation agreed to establish a direct hotline between the US military and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to coordinate maritime traffic through the strait.
However, the report said the hotline had not yet become operational by Saturday, even as Iran resumed insisting that commercial vessels coordinate their transit through the waterway with Iranian authorities.
The meeting, originally scheduled to take place in Switzerland to focus on Iran’s nuclear program, was moved to Doha following the recent escalation. According to Axios, discussions will now primarily focus on maritime security and freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.
Earlier Sunday, The Wall Street Journal reported that negotiations between Washington and Tehran had stalled following the renewed exchange of hostilities.
Neither the White House nor Iranian officials had publicly confirmed the reported agreement at the time of publication.
Source: Saudi Gazette