The United States and Iran have agreed to cease mutual attacks and to meet again for talks – this time, probably in Qatar – as well as to allow ships to pass safely through the Strait of Hormuz, according to a number of international media outlets.
The agreement was reached even after Tehran announced the cancellation of a meeting scheduled for 28 June.
“Technical talks are set to continue on all issues (of the memorandum of understanding – ed.). Both sides will observe a ceasefire for the time being, and ships will be able to move freely,” Reuters quoted a US official as saying.
Axios, also citing a senior US official, reported that both sides plan to meet on 30 June in Qatar.
“We have decided to cease all kinetic activity,” Axios quoted its source as saying, using a term that usually refers to air strikes and other types of attacks.
The German news agency dpa reported similar but less specific comments, also citing a senior US administration official who said that Washington expects further talks in the coming days. The venue has not been disclosed.
“Nothing has been cancelled,” the official told dpa.
CNN, The New York Times, ABC and others have also reported on statements by US officials.
These reports cannot be officially confirmed. The White House has not yet responded to requests for comment. Tehran has not commented on the situation, and its position on continuing the talks is unknown.
This comes after Iran, citing US attacks and what it described as a breach of the recently agreed memorandum of understanding (MoU), refused to meet on 28 June.
“For example, one of the reasons is to check whether we have access to the unfrozen funds. If there is no access, then this condition has not been met,” said Mehdi Fazaili from the office of Iran’s Supreme Leader.
Further details are not yet known.
The meeting was originally scheduled for 30 June in Switzerland to discuss Iran’s nuclear programme, but Axios reported that the latest escalation of attacks from both sides had led to the sessions being moved to Qatar, and they will now focus on the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran, which claims control over this vital waterway, has been firing on commercial vessels in the strait, prompting US forces to carry out strikes against Iranian coastal radar stations and military installations.
During preliminary talks, Washington and Tehran agreed to establish a ‘hotline’ between the US military and Iran’s hardline Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to coordinate the movement of vessels and other matters. At the same time, according to Axios, the line was not operational as of 27 June.
On 24 June, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested that further technical-level talks might take place on 29 or 30 June and that they would likely be held in Switzerland. Qatar and Pakistan are acting as mediators between Washington and Tehran in the current round of talks.