US and Iran Agree to Halt Strikes, Allow Free Hormuz Transit

The United States and Iran have agreed to a temporary halt in strikes and to allow commercial shipping to transit the Strait of Hormuz freely while technical negotiations on the memorandum of understanding resume, a US official told Middle East Eye on Sunday. The agreement follows two consecutive nights of US-Iran military exchanges that put the days-old MoU in jeopardy.

What we know

A US official, speaking on background, confirmed that Washington and Tehran will pause offensive operations and permit ships to sail through Hormuz without obstruction. The official framed the halt as a window to complete technical talks on all aspects of the memorandum of understanding signed earlier in the week.

The pause comes after a 48-hour escalation. US Central Command struck Iranian drone, missile, and radar sites near Hormuz late Friday and again Saturday. Iran retaliated with drone and missile strikes on US-linked facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait, damaging a residential building in Manama, according to Bahraini authorities cited by the Times of Israel. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi cited Hormuz “arrangements” as the cause of the renewed fighting and warned Tehran could exit negotiations.

Oil traded higher into the Sunday evening US session on the strike exchanges, with Brent extending gains as stock-index futures inched up on fears of an effective Hormuz closure. The halt announcement crossed before Asian markets opened.

What we don’t know

The US official did not specify when the halt takes effect, how long it will last, or what verification mechanism — if any — both sides have accepted. Tehran has not publicly confirmed the halt as of this writing. Whether the Iranian foreign ministry’s threat to walk away from the MoU has been formally rescinded is unclear. CENTCOM has not issued a battle damage assessment for its second round of strikes. This story is developing.

Context

The MoU, signed last week, was meant to lock in a framework under which Iran would not contest international transit through Hormuz in exchange for sanctions relief and a phased nuclear arrangement. The two rounds of strikes in 24 hours raised the question of whether the deal could survive its first week. A halt — if it holds and Tehran confirms — would salvage the framework but leave open how Hormuz security is to be enforced going forward, given that the original MoU envisioned Iranian participation in transit arrangements that the US strikes effectively cut out.

The halt also lands as the 60-day War Powers clock on the US strikes begins running in Congress. A confirmed de-escalation could blunt congressional pressure for a formal authorization vote, though it does not retroactively cure the constitutional question.

What to watch

1. An on-record confirmation from Tehran — foreign ministry, IRGC, or supreme leader’s office — that the halt is in effect.
2. The Monday Asian-session oil open: a hold above $90 Brent signals markets do not yet believe the halt; a sharp retracement signals they do.
3. Whether commercial tankers currently waiting outside Hormuz resume transit in the next 24 hours, the cleanest real-world test of the agreement.