US President Donald Trump has confirmed that American and Iranian officials will meet on Tuesday, June 30, in Qatar, after a series of strikes between the two sides threatened to derail the fragile cease-fire. "Iran has requested a meeting. It will take place tomorrow in Doha," Trump wrote on Truth Social. Tehran has yet to confirm the talks are set to take place.
Background of the Cease-fire
Officials claimed over the weekend that the two sides agreed to "stand down" following an exchange of strikes over the past few days. On June 17, 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."
Renewed Attacks
But the cease-fire 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.
Iranian Response and US Assessment
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. The talks in Qatar aim to de-escalate tensions and preserve the cease-fire, though Iran's official stance remains unclear.
