US and Iran halt attacks in surprise move toward negotiations
Donald Trump, President of the US (photo: Getty Images)
The US and Iran have reached an agreement on the immediate cessation of mutual attacks. This week, the parties will meet together to resolve the crisis surrounding shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Axios.
The meeting is planned to take place in Qatar. There is no exact official date yet; however, Axios believes the negotiations will take place as early as Tuesday. The American technical group at the meeting will be led by Nick Stewart.
"We decided to stop all the kinetic activity," a US official told the agency.
While the discussions continue, vessels will be able to pass through the strait freely. Both sides promise to refrain from provocations. This is a temporary but critically important ceasefire, the publication notes.
Earlier, the parties had planned to discuss the nuclear program on Tuesday in Switzerland, but circumstances changed: the situation at sea had become too dangerous. Now the main issue is security in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran has already stated that it is taking on serious commitments to ensure the safe passage of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz. In response, the US also made a reciprocal gesture.
Context of the news
The situation between the US and Iran, following the signing of the memorandum on the cessation of hostilities, has again escalated against the backdrop of mutual attacks. Washington and Tehran have exchanged strikes on military targets in recent days.
Iran even threatened to suspend the memorandum. Tehran is dissatisfied with the active operations of US aviation in the region.
