The United States and Iran “will stand down for now,” a US official said on Sunday after exchange of fire in recent days that is testing the fragile US-Iran agreement.
In Lebanon, continued Israeli attacks against Hezbollah in the country’s south are also further straining peace efforts.
A timeline of the escalation:
Iran attacks a Singapore-flagged container ship near the Strait of Hormuz. US President Donald Trump describes the move as a “foolish violation” of the initial agreement to end the war.
The US military conducts strikes around the Strait of Hormuz, targeting Iranian missile and drone storage locations and coastal radar sites.
The US detects “a couple of drones” as Iran says it launched strikes on American military targets in the Middle East, but those drones didn’t reach their target, a US official says.
Hours later, the US military conducts more strikes against Iranian targets “in direct response to continued Iranian aggression,” according to the US Central Command.
Iran then launches missiles and drones at US facilities in neighboring countries including Kuwait and Bahrain, Reuters reports the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as saying. There have been no US casualties or major damage to the facilities, Reuters reports, citing a US official.
Meanwhile in Lebanon, airstrikes hit the southern town of Nabatieh al-Fawqa, a day after Israel signed an agreement to withdraw troops from some areas. The Israeli military says it killed Hezbollah militants in the Nabatieh area of southern Lebanon and dismantled a rocket launcher, according to a Telegram statement.
Bahrain and Kuwait say they were targeted by Tehran, with a residential building in Bahrain heavily damaged in the attack. A US official says the Iranian attacks did not impact any of their intended targets.
Qatar’s Interior Ministry says a Qatari citizen on a vessel was killed after sustaining injuries from shrapnel resulting from “the military operations in the area,” though it did not provide more specific details.
Hours later, a Trump administration official says US and Iran “will stand down for now and vessels can move freely,” though it’s not yet clear what Iran’s position is on the matter.
The US and Iran have agreed to meet in Doha, Qatar, on Tuesday for further discussions, according to another US official.
And Lebanon reports fresh Israeli attacks as Israel approved continued military operations in the country’s south, days after signing the latest ceasefire agreement.