WASHINGTON: The United States and Iran have agreed to halt military strikes and resume negotiations aimed at ending the Middle East conflict, a US official said on Sunday, signalling a renewed diplomatic push under the Pakistan-brokered Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
US and Iranian forces traded strikes in recent days despite a June 17 memorandum of understanding (MOU) that seeks a comprehensive end to the conflict that began in late February and disrupted shipping through the vital Strait of Hormuz.
Under that agreement, Tehran committed to allow safe passage of commercial vessels through the strait while Washington agreed to lift its blockade of Iranian ports.
“Technical talks are slated to continue on all areas of the MOU,” a US official told AFP in an email. “Both sides will stand down for now, and vessels can move freely.”
The official did not provide details on what day or where the talks would take place, but two US officials and a third source with knowledge of the matter told American media outlet Axios that discussions would resume on Tuesday in Qatar.
CNN reported similar comments, citing a Trump administration official, saying the two sides will “stand down for now” and that they have agreed to meet in Doha on Tuesday for further talks.
US President Donald Trump repeated past threats of military action if the Iranian strikes continue, saying on Saturday that Iran would “no longer exist” if the US is “forced” to resume the war.
In the days since the signing of a Pakistan-brokered agreement aimed at ending the war, the United States and Iran have engaged in tit-for-tat attacks, blaming each other for violating their ceasefire.
The latest flareup came early Sunday, when the US military said it had attacked 10 Iranian military targets over “continued Iranian aggression against commercial shipping.”
U.S. Navy and Air Force fighter jets conducted strikes tonight on 10 Iranian military targets at multiple locations in and near the Strait of Hormuz for Iran’s drone attack on M/T Kiku. pic.twitter.com/Z0TLZRqmF6
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) June 28, 2026
Mediator Pakistan on Sunday stressed the need for all parties to the Middle East conflict to uphold the ceasefire agreement.
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar made the remarks during a phone call with European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas.
During the telephone conversation, Dar and Kallas reviewed the evolving regional situation, according to a statement issued by Pakistan’s Foreign Office.
Ishaq Dar informed the EU’s top diplomat about Pakistan’s continued diplomatic efforts towards a comprehensive framework for peace and stability in the region.
“He also emphasised the necessity for all parties to abide by the ceasefire agreement,” the Foreign Office statement read.
Iran launched missiles and drones on Kuwait and Bahrain early on Sunday, shortly after US President Donald Trump threatened to wipe out the Iranian leadership if they did not stick to the interim agreement to end their war.
The US military said earlier it had struck Iran again, hours after a tanker was hit in the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most important energy shipping route, which Tehran has largely closed for most of the conflict.
“There may come a point when we are no longer able to be reasonable, and will be forced to militarily complete the job that we very successfully started,” Trump said on social media.
“If that happens, the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist!” he added.
About an hour after Trump’s post, Kuwait’s army said its air defences were responding to missile and drone attacks, while Bahrain said sirens had sounded there.
Pakistan is the main mediator between the US and Iran after it secured a ceasefire on April 08 and hosted the highest level of talks between the two nations on April 12 and 13 in Islamabad.
On June 18, the US, Iran and mediator Pakistan signed the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (Islamabad MoU) to end the war.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed the Islamabad MoU as mediator.
US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also signed the Islamabad MoU to end the war and start further negotiations.
On June 21, Pakistan and Qatar mediated the high-level US-Iran talks in Switzerland.
The first round of Pakistan and Qatar mediated US-Iran talks, led by US Vice President JD Vance and Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf, was held in Switzerland a week ago, and Washington waived sanctions on Tehran.
After the talks, Pakistan and Qatar announced significant progress in diplomatic efforts between the US and Iran following the conclusion of the first round of high-level talks in Switzerland.
