US and Iran Pause Strikes, Resume Talks in Qatar After Weekend of Gulf Clashes

A fragile truce put to the test

A weekend of mutual strikes between the United States and Iran threatened to shatter a 60-day ceasefire agreement signed just weeks ago, before both sides pulled back and agreed to resume diplomatic talks in Doha, Qatar, on Tuesday.npr The fighting began when Iran attacked a cargo ship near Oman on Thursday, prompting American military retaliation and then Iranian counterstrikes against U.S. military facilities in Kuwait and Bahrain.npr President Trump warned on social media that "the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist" if hostilities could not be contained, while still saying he expected talks to resume.cnbc

A cascade of strikes across the Gulf

U.S. Central Command said it struck 10 Iranian military targets in and near the Strait of Hormuz after a Panamanian-flagged tanker, the M/T Kiku, was hit by a drone while carrying more than two million barrels of crude oil.cnbc The ship was bound for the United Arab Emirates using a route near Oman's coast that operates outside Iranian-controlled waters — a route Iran had warned it would not tolerate.france24 Iran's Revolutionary Guard responded by targeting U.S. bases in Kuwait and Bahrain, the latter home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet and the site of a recent Gulf Cooperation Council meeting hosted by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.france24 Kuwait's army said its air defenses were "confronting hostile missile and drone attacks," while Bahrain's Foreign Ministry condemned what it called "a deliberate approach and a systematic pattern of repeated aggression."cnbc

Diplomacy survives the escalation — barely

Despite the exchange of fire, Trump posted on Truth Social that Iran had requested a meeting and that talks would take place Tuesday in Doha.npr Iranian officials gave a more cautious public account: Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said technical talks would occur only "when the conditions are met," though he acknowledged ongoing consultations with Qatari mediators.npr A senior White House official told NPR that deconfliction channels established at the Lake Lucerne summit — where Vice President JD Vance led negotiations two weeks ago — remained "up and running."npr

Oil, Hormuz, and the terms still unresolved

Commercial shipping remained a flashpoint. Iran has insisted that vessels using the Strait of Hormuz must coordinate passage with its naval forces and has raised the prospect of charging transit fees — a position rejected by Washington and Gulf Arab states, who regard the waterway as an international strait.france24 Oil prices fell as more tankers exited the strait, easing supply fears: Brent crude settled down 4.3% at $71.99 a barrel and U.S. West Texas Intermediate dropped 3.7% to $69.23.cnbc Under the interim memorandum of understanding, both sides have 60 days to negotiate a permanent deal covering the nuclear program, Hormuz transit rules, and the Lebanon ceasefire with Hezbollah — a timeline now under severe strain.france24