Live updates: Ceasefire disintegrates as Trump says US will reinstate blockade of Iranian ships in Strait of Hormuz
It’s nearly a month since the United States and Iran agreed a Memorandum of Understanding designed to stop the fighting and start the clock towards a broader settlement.
But over the past few days, a cycle of violence has accelerated, sparked by attacks on several merchant ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The US military has responded with hundreds of strikes against targets on the Iranian coast and infrastructure further inland.
Each side accuses the other of bad faith and reneging on commitments.
The June 17 agreement left key provisions deliberately vague. Article 5 commits Iran to using its “best efforts” to ensure safe commercial passage for 60 days, while also saying Iran and Oman will “define the future administration and maritime services” in the Strait of Hormuz.
To Iran, that means a continuing role in managing shipping, with hardliners demanding that ships trying to pass without permission be targeted.
“The Strait of Hormuz remains under the total oversight and management of Iran through the 30 coming days,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on June 27. Only “after all obstacles are removed” would the total capacity of the waterway be restored.
A regional source told CNN that the MoU “is working like a thermostat,” adding, “It is regulating, basically kicks in and out.”
“Under the framework of the MoU both sides are asserting a right to attack,” the source said.
As those attacks escalate, the agreement is being tested. “At best, it’s in intensive care. But it may also be slipping into a coma,” a European diplomat said.
Indeed, US President Donald Trump said last week after a ship was struck in the Gulf of Oman: “To me, I think it’s over. I don’t want to deal with them (Iran) anymore.”
At the same time, Trump hasn’t closed the door on further negotiations. The MoU was meant to trigger a 60-day window during which the US and Iran would seek a deal on the broader issues: Iran’s nuclear stocks and enrichment program, sanctions and Iranian assets frozen overseas.
That window opened 26 days ago. There is no sign that those issues have yet been broached.
