US and Iran agree to pause attacks, resume talks

The United States (US) and Iran have agreed to stop attacking each other and plan to meet and resume talks aimed at ending the Middle East war, a US official said late Sunday.

US and Iranian forces traded strikes in recent days despite a fragile June 17 memorandum of understanding (MOU) that seeks a comprehensive end of the conflict that began in late February and disrupted shipping through the vital Strait of Hormuz.

Under that agreement, Tehran committed to allow safe passage of commercial vessels through the strait while Washington agreed to lift its blockade of Iranian ports.

“Technical talks are slated to continue on all areas of the MOU,” a US official told AFP in an email. “Both sides will stand down for now and vessels can move freely.”

The official did not provide details on what day or where the talks would take place, but two US officials and a third source with knowledge of the matter told American media outlet Axios that discussions would resume Tuesday in Qatar.

CNN reported similar comments citing a Trump administration official, saying the two sides will “stand down for now” and that they have agreed to meet in Doha on Tuesday for further talks.

US President Donald Trump repeated past threats of military action if the Iranian strikes continue, saying on Saturday that Iran would “no longer exist” if the US is “forced” to resume the war.

In the days since the signing of a Pakistan-brokered agreement aimed at ending the war, the United States and Iran have engaged in tit-for-tat attacks blaming each other for violating their ceasefire.

The latest flareup came early Sunday, when the US military said it had attacked 10 Iranian military targets over “continued Iranian aggression against commercial shipping.”

Iran issues serious warning to Bahrain

An adviser to Iran’s supreme leader has warned Bahrain that Tehran would strike the country with greater force if provoked, Al Jazeera reported.

“A serious warning is being given to the Bahrainis to know their limits and not play such games with their own fate, and not force Iran to adopt harsh decisions,” Ali Akbar Velayati was quoted as saying by the semi-official Tasnim News.

The IRGC earlier said its forces have destroyed eight US military sites in Kuwait and Bahrain. The statement said ballistic missiles and drones were used in the strikes, which it described as retaliation for recent US attacks on Iranian facilities in Sirik and Qeshm.

Iran warns ships

Iran’s top diplomat warned that any attempt by ships to bypass its preferred route through the Strait of Hormuz would “increase tensions” in the Middle East.

The attacks both sides traded early Sunday underscored the fragility of a Pakistan-brokered agreement aimed at ending the war launched by the United States and Israel in February that disrupted shipping through the strait and rattled global energy markets.

Although a ceasefire took effect in April, sporadic violence has continued in the Gulf region, with ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz often the spark.

Tehran was angered this week by Oman’s announcement of an alternative route through the strait that hugged the Omani shoreline, which Muscat said was in conjunction with the International Maritime Organization.