Washington, 29 June (H.S.): The United States and Iran have agreed to halt attacks against each other, according to a report by the US news website Axios, which cited a senior American official. The report said representatives from both countries are expected to meet on Tuesday in Doha, the capital of Qatar, to discuss resolving their dispute over the Strait of Hormuz, a strategically vital route for global oil supplies.

According to the Axios report, the senior US official said both sides are currently planning to hold talks in Doha on Tuesday to address differences related to the Strait of Hormuz. The report added that Nick Stewart, who leads the US technical team, is expected to participate in the discussions.

We have decided to stop all military action, the senior US official was quoted as saying.

A second American official said both sides would stand down for now and that ships will be able to move freely while technical discussions continue. Both US officials, along with a third source familiar with the matter, confirmed that the meeting is expected to take place on Tuesday.

The meeting had originally been scheduled to take place in Switzerland to discuss Iran's nuclear programme. However, following the recent military confrontation, the venue was shifted to Doha, Qatar. The agenda has also been narrowed to focus exclusively on issues concerning the Strait of Hormuz. The White House has not yet issued an official statement regarding the proposed talks.

Notably, the Strait of Hormuz has emerged as the biggest challenge in implementing the understanding reached between the two countries. Iran had pledged to make every effort to ensure the safe passage of commercial vessels through the strategic waterway. In return, the United States agreed to lift its blockade on Iranian ports. During talks held in Switzerland last week, both sides had also agreed to establish a direct hotline.

According to a report by Arab News, Mehdi Fazaili, a member of the publication office of Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, told state television on Sunday that Iran did not participate in the technical talks scheduled for Sunday because of the recent attacks on the country and what it described as the failure to fulfil the conditions of the agreement with the United States.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar