Less than two weeks after the US and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding, tensions flared up again in the Strait of Hormuz, raising fears of a broader escalation in the Middle East. According to reports from Axios on June 28, multiple senior US officials confirmed that both Washington and Tehran have agreed to stop direct attacks. They plan to meet in Doha, Qatar, on the 30th to resolve the ongoing disputes over the vital waterway.
“We have decided to halt all offensive activities,” one senior US official stated. Another official added that both nations would “temporarily” cease operations, allowing ships to navigate the Strait of Hormuz freely while technical negotiations continue behind the scenes.
Insiders suggest that while the US and Iran originally scheduled talks for June 30 in Switzerland to address the Iranian nuclear issue, the situation’s rapid escalation prompted a venue change. The meeting will now take place in Doha, focusing specifically on the Strait of Hormuz. Nick Stewart, who leads the US technical team, is expected to attend.
The White House has not yet issued an official comment on this development.
June 26 local time, Strait of Hormuz (IC Photo)
Recently, military exchanges between the two countries intensified, with both sides accusing each other of violating the agreement reached earlier this month. On June 27, US Central Command announced on social media that US Navy and Air Force fighter jets struck ten Iranian military targets in and around the Strait of Hormuz. This was framed as a response to Iranian drone attacks on commercial vessels.
President Trump took to social media that day, claiming that US aircraft had just targeted Iranian missile and drone storage sites, as well as coastal radar installations, citing renewed violations of the ceasefire agreement. He wrote, “Perhaps there will come a moment when we will no longer exercise restraint, forced to complete our successfully initiated mission through military means. If that step is taken, Iran will cease to exist!”
In response, the Public Relations Department of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) issued a statement on June 28. It declared that the IRGC Navy and Air Force had used missiles and drones to destroy eight key US military facilities at the Ali Al-Salem Air Base in Kuwait and the US Fifth Fleet base in Bahrain early that morning. The IRGC described this as a “resolute response” to recent US aggression.
On the same day, Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemned the US military strikes on multiple locations along Iran’s southern coast. The ministry accused the US of blatantly violating the UN Charter and the memorandum of understanding previously signed by both nations. It emphasized that Iran would firmly defend its national sovereignty and territorial integrity against US military aggression, in accordance with the UN Charter.
