An apparent agreement by the US and Iran to pause a fresh outburst of violence stabilized a truce that is the first step to permanently ending the war and underscored that each side has a vital national interest in doing so.
The accommodation follows days of clashes around the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf that were best understood as the foes wrestling to define their vague memorandum of understanding and to shape looming talks on critical issues — including Tehran’s nuclear program.
A Trump administration official said the two sides agreed to meet in Qatar on Tuesday and that they will “stand down for now.” There was no immediate comment from Iran.
Four days of Iranian attacks on merchant ships, US reprisals, and Tehran’s follow-on strikes on US bases and Gulf allies risked an escalation into broader fighting and jeopardized global economic relief as oil begins to move through the strait. They also appear to have violated the terms of the memorandum of understanding that both sides signed.
Iran was seeking to defend its new seam of leverage — the capacity to manage traffic through a waterway critical to the global economy. Its missile strikes on Gulf states and US assets suggested an attempt to set a new postwar regional strategic paradigm. Tehran also seemed to be turning a political screw against President Donald Trump and testing how far his patience will stretch as he seeks to preserve what he has characterized as a triumphant deal to end the war.
