The United States and Iran will hold talks in Qatar’s capital, Doha, today to resolve their dispute over the Strait of Hormuz. The meeting comes amid renewed tensions between the US and Iran over the waterway, through which 20% of the world’s crude oil flows.

 

The dangerous period of violence that began Thursday disrupted US President Donald Trump’s attempt to end hostilities with Iran and negotiate a settlement that addresses Tehran’s nuclear program. Traffic in the Strait of Hormuz fell during the tit-for-tat strikes, slowing the recovery of the waterway. Iran and US exchanged missile strikes over the weekend, collapsing trade in the Strait of Hormuz for multiple days. US and Iranian officials agreed to a temporary ceasefire yesterday after President Trump threatened to escalate the conflict.

 

The renewed fighting stemmed from differing interpretations of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed earlier this month to end the conflict, particularly Article 5 dealing with navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. Under the agreement, Iran committed to making its best efforts to ensure the safe passage of commercial vessels through the strategic waterway, while the United States agreed to lift its blockade of Iranian ports.

 

During negotiations in Switzerland, the US delegation, led by Vice President JD Vance, also agreed to establish a direct hotline between the US military and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to coordinate shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. However, US officials said the communication channel is still not operational as Iran renewed its insistence that ships must coordinate their passage with Tehran.