It reversed again. US and Iran agree to stop attacking each other, restart key negotiations on Tuesday.

Author: Xiao Yanyan, Jinshi Data

Axios reports that the United States and Iran have agreed to stop attacking each other. According to a senior U.S. official, the two sides plan to hold a meeting on Tuesday in Doha, the capital of Qatar, to resolve the dispute surrounding the Strait of Hormuz.

This development is important because the ceasefire agreement has been in effect for only eleven days, yet it has already become precarious due to renewed clashes between the two sides and Trump’s threats to restart the war and “finish the job.”

The outbreak of the latest round of conflict stems from different interpretations by the two sides of a memorandum of understanding on ending the war—especially the provisions regarding the Strait of Hormuz.

According to the latest information, “We have decided to stop all kinetic activities,” a senior U.S. official told Axios. Here, a military term is used to refer to attacks and other offensive actions.

Another U.S. official told Axios that the two sides will “temporarily” ceasefire, and as technical talks continue, “ships can pass freely.”

Both U.S. officials and a knowledgeable third party confirmed the plan for a meeting on Tuesday.

Under the memorandum of understanding, Iran commits to doing its utmost to ensure the safe passage of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz. In exchange, the United States lifts its blockade of Iranian ports. During negotiations held in Switzerland last week, the U.S. delegation led by Vice President Vance reached agreement with Iran to establish a “hotline” between the U.S. military and Iran’s military command, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, to coordinate passage scheduling within the strait. However, as of last Saturday, this “hotline” was still not operational, by which time Iran had again begun to claim that ships needed to coordinate passage in advance.

According to Iran’s state television, Iranian officials said that due to recent attacks and unmet conditions, Iran did not participate in the technical talks scheduled for last Sunday.

With regard to the current situation, according to a knowledgeable source, the talks planned for Tuesday were originally to be held in Switzerland to discuss Iran’s nuclear program. But the escalation forced the talks to move to a different location, and the focus was shifted back to the Strait of Hormuz. A U.S. official and a knowledgeable source said that Nick Stewart, head of the U.S. technical team, is expected to participate in the talks.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Iran claims exclusive management rights over the Strait of Hormuz

Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi said on Sunday that, under the preliminary peace agreement signed with Trump, Iran has exclusive rights to manage traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, adding that any attempt to bypass its authority could trigger a series of strikes similar to those seen in recent days.

This statement is among the clearest declarations yet from senior Iranian officials, showing that Tehran believes that under this agreement, Iran has sole jurisdiction over the strategic waterway intended to be reopened. This stance contradicts the U.S. position—namely that the U.S. believes the agreement does not grant Iran control rights, and that this international waterway must remain open to unimpeded navigation.

Before Tehran asserted this authority, Iran and the United States had exchanged attacks for several days. The conflict began after Iran attacked a vessel attempting to transit the strait along the coast of Oman. Tehran wants ships to pass through a specific route along its coastline and had previously warned vessels not to use that alternative route.

“Iran has little interest in watching its leverage slip away with every ship that diverts to Omani waters,” said Ali Vaez, Iran project director at the International Crisis Group (International Crisis Group), a non-governmental organization focused on conflict resolution.

This round of fighting has made ship owners uneasy and thrown the newly emerging process of reopening the waterway into uncertainty, thereby threatening a key achievement of Trump’s preliminary agreement—an agreement that would move more contentious issues, including Iran’s nuclear program, to a second phase of discussions.

“The management and full restoration of maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz is Iran’s responsibility,” Araghchi said. “No other country or entity bears any responsibility or authority in this matter.”

The agreement Trump signed in early June assigns Iran responsibility for reopening the strait. The agreement stipulates that “the Islamic Republic of Iran will make every effort to arrange safe passage for commercial vessels,” and that Iran will consult with other parties in the region to determine the future management of the strait and the conditions for maritime services.

But Trump’s agreement also stipulates that military obstacles should be removed and that traffic should resume immediately.

U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations Mike Waltz said that the United States will not tolerate further attacks on ships.

“If the Iranian regime thinks President Trump will sit idly by while Iran continues to attack international shipping, or while it attacks our bases, then they are badly mistaken,” he said on Fox News. “Over the past few nights, they’ve been very clear about it.”

In recent days, Iran attacked two vessels—one a container ship and the other an oil tanker carrying Qatari oil—Qatar being one of the mediators in U.S.-Iran negotiations. The United States responded by attacking Iran’s communications facilities, drones, and missile sites along the coast of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran then attacked Kuwait and Bahrain.

“The United States is testing Iran’s resolve,” said Mohamed Amersi, an Iran expert and a member of the Global Advisory Council of the Wilson Center, a Washington think tank. He said that so far, the escalation remains within a controllable range.