Less than two weeks after the signing of the memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran, clashes again occurred around the Strait of Hormuz, putting the Middle Eastern situation at risk of further escalation. According to a report by the American Axios news website on June 28th, several senior US officials revealed that the US and Iran have agreed to stop mutual attacks. The two sides plan to meet in Doha, the capital of Qatar, on June 30th local time to resolve the disputes related to the Strait of Hormuz.
A US senior official stated, "We have decided to cease all offensive activities." Another senior official added that the US and Iran would “temporarily” halt operations, with ships able to travel freely through the Hormuz Strait, with technical talks continuing.
According to sources familiar with the matter, the United States and Iran were originally scheduled to hold negotiations in Switzerland on the 30th local time to address Iran’s nuclear issue. However, after tensions escalated again, both sides decided to move the negotiations to Doha, Qatar, to discuss issues related to the Strait of Hormuz once more. Nick Stewart, responsible for the U.S. technical team, is expected to attend the talks.
The White House has not commented on this news yet.
June 26th local time, Hormuz Strait IC photo
Recently, there have been military encounters between the United States and Iran, with both sides accusing each other of violating agreements reached earlier this month. On June 27 local time, the U.S. Central Command posted on social media stating that U.S. Navy and Air Force fighter jets attacked 10 Iranian military targets in the Hormuz Strait and surrounding areas in response to Iranian drone attacks on merchant ships.
U.S. President Donald Trump claimed on social media that American aircraft had just struck Iranian missile and drone storage facilities, as well as coastal radar stations, because they had once again violated the ceasefire agreement. He wrote, "Perhaps there will come a moment when we no longer have to exercise restraint and will be forced to use military means to carry out actions that we have already initiated. If that day comes, Iran will no longer exist!"
On June 28 local time, the Public Relations Department of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran issued a statement saying that in the early hours of that day, the Navy and Air Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps used missiles and drones to destroy eight important US military facilities at the Ali Salim Air Base in Kuwait and at the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain. This was a decisive response to the recent aggressive actions by the United States.
The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemned the attacks launched by the US military against several areas along the southern coast of Iran on the same day. It accused the United States of blatantly violating the United Nations Charter and the memorandum of understanding previously signed between the US and Iran. The Ministry emphasized that it would firmly defend Iran's national sovereignty and territorial integrity in accordance with the United Nations Charter, resisting American military aggression.
