The U.S. and Iran have agreed to end mutual strikes following fresh exchanges of fire at the weekend, it was disclosed on Monday, June 29th.
The decision to ‘stand down’ would bring both sides back under the terms of their June 17th ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ (MoU), the official basis for a current 60-day ceasefire while a more lasting peace is negotiated. Critics of the document now point to how its vague language may permit both sides to take action which could, in turn, further destabilise the region.
Over the weekend, the U.S. initiated a series of strikes on Iranian targets, purportedly in defence of commercial shipping. This was in retaliation for an incident on Thursday, where an Iranian projectile hit a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz. In turn, Iran struck at U.S. bases in Kuwait and Bahrain, reportedly failing to hit any significant targets.
The process of ‘standing down’ should put an end to such actions for now. A more complex problem is the conflict between Israel and Tehran’s proxy Hezbollah, which is formally included in the U.S.–Iranian MoU.
