US and Iran plan Doha talks as Hormuz dispute tests truce
Axios reported that Washington and Tehran plan talks in Qatar after new strikes, while Iran says control of the Strait of Hormuz rests with Tehran.
By Sofia Marchetti · World Affairs Correspondent
3 min read
The United States and Iran have agreed to stop attacking each other and plan to meet Tuesday in Doha to address their dispute over the Strait of Hormuz, Axios reported. The reported talks come after both sides traded strikes despite a recent memorandum of understanding, leaving a fragile truce exposed at one of the world’s key shipping routes.
Al Jazeera reported that the US bombed Iran’s Qeshm Island and the cities of Sirik and Bandar-e Lengeh after attacks on shipping in the strait. Tehran then fired missiles and drones at US forces in Bahrain and Kuwait, according to Al Jazeera.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said responsibility for the Strait of Hormuz rests solely with Tehran, Al Jazeera reported. Araghchi warned that attempts to avoid Iran’s preferred route through the strait would bring “tension and escalation,” according to the broadcaster.
Disputed ceasefire terms
The US has said Iran breached the agreement by attacking ships, according to Al Jazeera. Iran has said ships must follow its rules in the Strait of Hormuz and has blamed the US for violating the agreement, Al Jazeera reported.
The memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran says the war should end on all fronts, including Lebanon, according to Al Jazeera. The same report said Israel has carried out intensified attacks in Lebanon since early March.
Hezbollah accused Israel’s military of violating the ceasefire in Lebanon with several attacks across southern areas on Sunday, according to Al Jazeera. The Lebanese group said Israeli fighter jets hit residential buildings in Nabatieh and nearby Mayfadoun, while an Israeli drone attacked open areas in Far’un and the Bint Jbeil district.
Hezbollah also said explosions targeted residential buildings in Taybeh and Hadatha, Al Jazeera reported. In a statement cited by the broadcaster, the group said it was monitoring the alleged violations and reserved the right to defend Lebanon and its people.
Regional fallout
Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said the trilateral framework agreement between Lebanon, Israel and the US “will not pass” and “will not be implemented,” Al Jazeera reported. Berri said the agreement does not guarantee Lebanon’s rights, according to the report.
Al Jazeera also reported that Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei called for the prosecution of US and Israeli leaders over alleged war crimes committed against Iran last year and this year. Syria condemned Israeli incursions into Quneitra and Deraa provinces and warned that continued attacks risk further regional tension, according to Al Jazeera.
In Gaza, Israel killed four Palestinians, Al Jazeera reported. The broadcaster did not provide further details in the updates on the circumstances of those deaths.
US political criticism
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill, a Democrat, criticized President Donald Trump’s handling of the war and demanded answers from his administration. In social media posts cited by Al Jazeera, Sherrill said the administration’s objectives had shifted and that Americans deserved a clear explanation of what the White House believes it has achieved to make the country safer.
Sherrill said Trump’s stated reasons for the war had moved from eliminating Iran’s missile programme to ending its nuclear programme to pursuing regime change, according to Al Jazeera. She also said Trump had claimed at one point that he was fighting to open the Strait of Hormuz, which she said had been open before the war began.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.