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The United States and Iran have agreed to halt attacks, and will reportedly meet again in Qatar to discuss the Strait of Hormuz, Axios reported on June 28, citing U.S. officials and a source with knowledge on the matter.
The news website said that the talks that will be held on June 20 were originally planned to take place in Switzerland, but the flareup caused them to be moved to Qatar’s capital, Doha, and the topic was changed to the standoff in the Strait of Hormuz, as disputes and gaps remain despite the memorandum of understanding (MoU) reached earlier this month.
“We decided to stop all the kinetic activity,” one of the U.S. officials was quoted as saying.
Another U.S. official told the website that “technical talks are slated to continue on all areas of the MoU,” not just the Strait of Hormuz.
“Both sides will stand down for now and vessels can move freely,” the official added.
Earlier, Mehdi Fazaeili, a member of the Office of Preservation and Publication of the Works of Iran’s Supreme Leader, told state television that the Islamic Republic refrained from taking part in technical talks slated for June 28 due to recent U.S. strikes and unfulfilled conditions of the MoU.
“For example, one of the reasons is checking if we have access to the unfrozen funds; if there is no access then this condition has not been fulfilled,” Fazaeili said.
The standoff in the Strait of Hormuz began last week after Oman announced an alternative route through the waterway along its shoreline in cooperation with the International Maritime Organization.
Two ships were hit along the route, with the U.S. Central Command holding Iran responsible and launching two waves of strikes against the Islamic Republic. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps responded both times, hitting American bases in Kuwait and Bahrain.
The Islamic Republic is clearly asserting its dominance over the waterway, a key passage for about 20 percent of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas shipments.
While the MoU bars Iran from charging tolls in the Strait of Hormuz for the next 60 days, it leaves open the possibility that the Islamic Republic can do so afterward. The U.S., which approved this when it signed off on the deal, is now attempting to challenge it.
If the upcoming talks in Qatar fail to resolve the issue of the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. and Iran could exchange more strikes. That’s being said, it is highly unlikely that the MoU will collapse.
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hillbillies halt strikes my americunt anuz cuz i incel derp aids
s-f controlled by the deep pockets of the tribe in helping murica manipulate the markets on lies. there will be no negotiations with iran in doha by the u.$. 0range caligula is just desperate!