Washington and Tehran have agreed to ‘stand down’ after a weekend of tit-for-tat strikes that pushed their two-week-old ceasefire to the brink, a US official told CBS News on Sunday. The accord means vessels can now move ‘freely’ through the Strait of Hormuz, the official said, as talks on a permanent end to the war are set to continue.
The stand-down came after a series of attacks that began Thursday when an Iranian projectile struck a cargo ship in the key waterway. The US retaliated with strikes on Iranian targets, which Centcom called a direct response to ‘continued aggression’ against commercial shipping. Iran then launched drones and missiles at US bases in Kuwait and Bahrain – strikes the US said caused no casualties or damage.
“US and Iran agree to stand down after exchange of strikes, with vessels free to move through Strait of Hormuz.”
The renewed violence threatened the 14-point Memorandum of Understanding signed on 17 June, under which Iran agreed to use its ‘best efforts for the safe passage of commercial vessels with no charge for 60 days’ and both sides committed to an ‘immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts.’
On Saturday, Iran attacked a ship on the Omani side of the Strait of Hormuz that was part of a UN-backed evacuation operation, according to Channel 4 News. Tehran insists it still controls the waterway under the ceasefire terms.
Despite the stand-down, diplomatic tensions persisted. Deputy Iranian Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi denied Monday that there were plans for technical talks this week. But US President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social: ‘IRAN HAS REQUESTED A MEETING. IT WILL TAKE PLACE TOMORROW IN DOHA!’ White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later told Fox News that US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner ‘will be flying to Doha for high-level meetings this week, as we continue to discuss the memorandum of understanding.’
The Strait of Hormuz, a vital artery for oil and gas shipments, was effectively closed by Tehran after the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran at the end of February. Meanwhile, a separate US-mediated framework agreement between Israel and Lebanon, signed Friday, also appeared shaky after Hezbollah’s leader rejected it. On Sunday, the Israeli army said it had struck a 200-metre-long tunnel used by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
Whether the stand-down holds – and the Doha talks produce a permanent resolution – remains uncertain.