US Official: Iran and US Agree to Halt Attacks and Renew Talks

Pakistan News Desk June 29, 2026

First Published 4 hours ago

🔴 Live Update 1 hour ago14 Updates by 9 sources

A US official announced on Sunday that the United States and Iran have agreed to halt recent hostilities in the Gulf and renew talks regarding their dispute over the Strait of Hormuz. The development aims to salvage a Pakistan-brokered interim peace deal that was under pressure from days of retaliatory strikes.

“Technical talks are slated to continue on all areas of the memorandum of understanding (MoU). Both sides will stand down for now and vessels can move freely,” the official said. This refers to a 14-point agreement from June 17 intended to reopen the vital shipping lane. Iran has not immediately commented on the US statement.

According to reports citing a senior US official, talks are expected to resume on Tuesday in Qatar.

The move towards diplomacy follows a recent escalation. On Thursday, an Iranian projectile struck a cargo vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, after which both sides accused the other of breaking the June 17 interim ceasefire. Early on Sunday, Iran launched missiles and drones at US military sites in Kuwait and Bahrain. The US military also confirmed it had struck Iran again after a tanker was hit in the strait.

Separately, Israel said on Sunday it had struck Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon. Iran maintains that the fighting in Lebanon must end for the wider agreement to be sustained.

Pakistan News will update this story as more confirmed details become available.

Latest Updates

Updated: 1:57 PM PKT — June 29, 2026

The agreement to de-escalate followed a significant flare-up over the weekend. Early on Sunday, Iran launched missiles and drones targeting U.S. military sites in Kuwait and Bahrain. According to reports, this action came shortly after threats were issued by the U.S. president against Iran.

In a related development, the Kuwaiti army stated it had intercepted two ballistic missiles without any resulting damage or casualties.

Separately, Israel reported on Sunday that it had conducted another strike against Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon, destroying underground infrastructure. This followed a similar Israeli strike on Saturday.

Updated: 1:22 PM PKT — June 29, 2026

The agreement between the United States and Iran to renew diplomatic talks has had an immediate effect on global commodity markets. On Monday, copper prices saw gains following the news, with the most-active contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange rising 1.32% and benchmark copper on the London Metal Exchange up 0.34% as of 0700 GMT.

However, investor sentiment remains cautious after reports that both Washington and Tehran have accused each other of violating an interim ceasefire. This has contributed to a 0.8% rise in Brent crude prices. In Asia, Indian shares were set for a muted opening on Monday as investors weighed the diplomatic progress against lingering geopolitical risks.

Updated: 12:15 PM PKT — June 29, 2026

As the United States and Iran move to de-escalate hostilities, available reports on June 29 suggest the US has made a new demand as part of the ongoing discussions. The specific nature of this demand has not yet been clarified.

In the first comments from an Iranian official on the matter, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that under the understanding with the United States, the responsibility to keep the Strait of Hormuz fully open rests solely with Tehran. Speaking during a visit to Iraq, he added that any interference could disrupt the process and increase tensions.

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