Iran and US agree to halt attacks and renew talks, US official says

An agreement has reportedly been reached between Iran and the United States to halt recent hostilities in the Gulf and to renew talks concerning their dispute over the Strait of Hormuz, according to a US official. This development offers hope for salvaging an interim peace deal that had been strained by days of retaliatory strikes.

The exchanges have highlighted the precarious nature of a Pakistan-brokered agreement designed to end a conflict that has resulted in thousands of deaths and significantly disrupted oil shipments through the vital Strait of Hormuz. The official indicated that "technical talks are slated to continue on all areas of the memorandum of understanding." Both sides are expected to stand down for the time being, allowing vessels to navigate freely.

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Technical talks are slated to continue on all areas of the memorandum of understanding (MoU). Both sides will stand down for now and vessels can move freely.

Iran had not immediately commented on the US statement. Axios, citing a senior US official, first reported the cessation of hostilities, noting that talks were scheduled to resume on Tuesday in Qatar. This return to diplomacy follows several days of strikes and counterstrikes, particularly after an Iranian projectile struck a cargo vessel in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday. Both the US and Iran had accused each other of violating an interim ceasefire agreed upon on June 17.

Earlier on Sunday, the US military reported striking Iran again, hours after a tanker was hit in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global energy shipping route largely controlled by Tehran during the conflict. This occurred shortly after US President Donald Trump issued a warning on social media, stating that the Islamic Republic would cease to exist if it failed to honor the agreement to end the war. Meanwhile, Israel also reported striking Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon on Sunday, destroying underground infrastructure in a southern Lebanese village, following a similar strike the previous day. Iran has asserted that the fighting in Lebanon must cease for the broader agreement to hold.

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There may come a point when we are no longer able to be reasonable, and will be forced to militarily complete the job that we very successfully started. If that happens, the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist!