US and Iran agree to ‘stand down’ after exchange of strikes threatened to break ceasefire agreement

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The US and Iran have reportedly agreed to “stand down” following an exchange of strikes over the past few days.

It comes after several attacks in and around the Strait of Hormuz, with both nations accusing each other of violating their ceasefire.

A US official confirmed to the BBC’s US partner CBS News that vessels will now be able to move through the waterway “freely”, and added that renewed talks aimed at ending the war will continue.

The United States and Iran have also agreed to meet in Doha, Qatar, on Tuesday for further discussions, according to another US official.

Iran has not commented on the reports that it has agreed to halt strikes in the strait.

On 17 June, the US and Iran signed a 14-point Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which included an “immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts”.

As part of the MoU, Iran had agreed to use its “best efforts for the safe passage of commercial vessels with no charge for 60 days”.

But the ceasefire agreed less than two weeks ago has been under threat in recent days because of renewed attacks by both sides.

Strikes kicked off once more on Thursday after an Iranian projectile hit a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz.

Over the weekend, the US retaliated with a series of strikes on Iran, hitting multiple targets in what US Central Command (Centcom) called a direct response to the “continued aggression” against commercial shipping.

On Saturday, Iran responded with strikes on US bases in Kuwait and Bahrain. The US has said none of these attacks reached their targets, and there were no casualties or damage.