The US and Iran have agreed to stop attacks and resume negotiations, an official says

Meanwhile, Axios, citing also an American official, reported that the talks will take place in Qatar.

“Technical talks will continue for all areas of the memorandum of understanding. The two sides will withdraw at the moment and the ships will be able to move freely through the Strait”, the official said late on the evening of June 28th.

Axios reported that both sides plan to meet on June 30th in Qatar's capital, Doha.

“We decided to stop all kinetic activities”, the US official was quoted as saying, using the term usually referred to military attacks.

Even the German news agency DPA, citing a senior American administration official, reported that Washington expects talks to continue in the coming days. The location of the appointment was not granted.

Nothing was cancelled”, the official was quoted as saying.

Tehran did not comment, and his position on continuing negotiations was not immediately clear.

These statements come after Iran, citing American attacks on the country and what it described as violating the memorandum of understanding achieved late, refused to meet with American negotiators on the plan on June 28th.

For example, one of the reasons is to verify whether we have access to opened funds. If we don't have access, then this condition has not been fulfilled”, Mehdi stzaeleil said from Iran's Supreme Leader's office.

Other details were not immediately available.

The next session, June 30th, was originally scheduled to be held in Switzerland to discuss Iran's nuclear programme. However, Axios reported that the recent escalation of attacks on both sides caused the talks to shift to Qatar, and now they will focus on the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran, which claims sovereignty over this strategic water route, has shot at commercial ships in the straits, causing American forces to hit coastal radars and Iranian military objects in an effort to protect navigation.

During previous negotiating rounds, Washington and Tehran agreed to establish a communication line between the US Army and Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) to co-ordinate ship traffic and other issues. However, according to Axios, this line was not yet functional.

On June 24th, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had declared that further technical talks could be held on June 29th or 30th, and that they would likely be held in Switzerland.

US President Donald Trump, and Iranian counterpart Masud Peschian signed a temporary memorandum of understanding on 14 points in early June that gives the parties 60 days to negotiate a final agreement aimed at ending the war that began on 28 February.

Qatar, along with Pakistan, has served as a mediator between Washington and Tehran in the current round of negotiations. /Periscope