US and Iran Trade Strikes, Accuse Each Other of Ceasefire Violations, Then Agree to Stand Down

A weekend of strikes, recriminations, and a fragile pause

The United States and Iran traded fresh military strikes over the June 27–29 weekend in and around the Strait of Hormuz, with both governments accusing the other of violating the ceasefire framework signed less than two weeks earlier.bbc +1 The sequence began after an Iranian projectile struck the Panamanian-flagged tanker Kiku — carrying Qatari crude oil — in the strait on Saturday morning.apnews US Central Command retaliated by hitting Iranian missile storage sites, coastal radar installations, and air defense infrastructure. Iran then launched drones and missiles at US military bases in Kuwait and Bahrain; Washington said all were intercepted without casualties or damage.apnews

By Sunday, both sides agreed to "stand down." A US official told CBS News that vessels would move through the Hormuz waterway "freely" and talks on a permanent deal would continue.bbc Trump announced on Truth Social that Iran had "requested a meeting" in Doha — though Iran's deputy foreign minister initially denied any meeting was scheduled.bbc

Technical talks in Qatar, with mediators in between

Envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff flew to Doha, where they met Qatar's prime minister — who has served as a go-between alongside Pakistan.al-monitor Qatari and Iranian delegations then held technical talks on implementing the 14-point interim accord signed last month, which gave both sides 60 days to negotiate a permanent end to the war and required Iran to allow safe passage of commercial vessels through the strait.al-monitor Qatar's foreign ministry described "positive progress"; the US said Kushner and Witkoff had "positive" discussions with regional leaders.

Two disputes dominate: Iran is pressing for international recognition of its authority over Hormuz and the right to levy transit fees, while the US insists on unconditional freedom of navigation.al-monitor Iran has also made the release of roughly $6 billion in frozen assets a precondition for progress. Traffic through Hormuz — which handled one-fifth of global oil and gas trade before the war began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran in February — has partially resumed but remains, in one analyst's words, "patchy, unpredictable, and not fully transparent."al-monitor

A ceasefire still on the knife's edge

The latest exchange is the most serious since the interim deal was signed. Trump on Truth Social warned there may come a point where the US would be "forced to militarily complete the job" — and that "the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist" if it does.apnews A separate Lebanon ceasefire framework brokered by the US on June 27 — meant to halt fighting between Israel and Hezbollah as part of the broader peace structure — also looks fragile, with Hezbollah's leader rejecting the deal within days.bbc +1 The 60-day negotiating window built into the interim accord leaves little room for further escalation before the diplomatic window closes.