The United States and Iran have agreed to cease all kinetic activity and resume technical negotiations, with a meeting planned in Doha on Tuesday to resolve the dispute over the Strait of Hormuz, according to statements by US officials cited by multiple news agencies. The understanding allows commercial vessels to transit the waterway freely while talks proceed. Iran has not officially confirmed the Doha meeting, but Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi declared that the Islamic Republic bears sole responsibility for managing the strait and warned that any parallel arrangements would delay its full reopening and increase tensions.

Viewed from Washington, the halt in strikes represents a return to the 14-point memorandum of understanding signed on 17 June, under which Iran committed to ensuring safe passage for commercial shipping in exchange for a US lifting of its naval blockade. A senior US official told Axios that both sides will stand down “for now” and that technical discussions will cover all areas of the MoU. The White House did not immediately comment. The US military had conducted strikes on Iranian radar, missile, and drone facilities after what Central Command described as continued Iranian aggression against commercial vessels, including a projectile strike on a cargo ship on 25 June.

From Tehran, the official position emphasises exclusive Iranian control over the strait for a 30-day period stipulated in the memorandum. Araghchi stated that no other country or institution bears responsibility, and the Foreign Ministry rejected an Omani initiative for a temporary alternative shipping corridor near Oman’s coast, which had been coordinated with a UN maritime agency. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched missile and drone attacks on US military sites in Kuwait and Bahrain early on 28 June, calling the American strikes a violation of the ceasefire. Iranian state media reported that technical talks scheduled for Sunday were cancelled because conditions, including access to unfrozen funds, had not been met.

The Doha meeting was originally planned for Switzerland and focused on Iran’s nuclear programme, but the recent escalation prompted a change of venue and agenda. The US technical team will be led by Nick Stewart. The broader ceasefire, which took effect on 17 June and includes a 60-day halt to hostilities on all fronts, remains precarious. Iran has linked its durability to a cessation of Israeli operations in Lebanon, where Israeli forces struck Hezbollah infrastructure over the weekend despite a framework agreement signed in Washington on 26 June. The outcome of Tuesday’s talks is expected to determine whether the strait remains open to commercial traffic and whether the diplomatic track can be stabilised.