US-Iran war: Will peace talks resume, and when?

SaveSharefacebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylinkIran says strikes hit southern areas, but US denies it carried out the attacksBy Sarah ShamimPublished On 10 Jul 202610 Jul 2026A United States official has told Al Jazeera that despite two days of launching attacks on Iran this week, Washington remains committed to negotiations with Tehran and that technical talks for a lasting peace deal will continue.From Tuesday night to Thursday this week, the US and Iran traded attacks in a major escalation of hostilities since a memorandum of understanding (MoU), which triggered a 60-day negotiation period, was signed on June 17.The US initially launched attacks on 85 targets in Iran on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning after commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz were attacked by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), apparently for not sticking to a route through the strait approved by Iran.Iran retaliated with attacks on US military assets and infrastructure in Gulf states on Wednesday, triggering more US attacks on 90 Iranian targets on Wednesday night and again on Thursday on Iran’s southern coastal and eastern provinces – including on civilian infrastructure, Iran claimed – further eroding the three-week-old ceasefire pact.(Al Jazeera)On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump told reporters at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkiye, that he thought the MoU was “over”, triggering fears the ceasefire was off. However, he added that while he would allow peace talks to continue for now, he believed they were a “waste of time”. In an angry tirade, he referred to the Iranian leadership as “scum”.Trump appeared to backtrack from this stance somewhat on Thursday, when he told journalists on board the presidential plane, Air Force One, that returning to a full-scale war was not the aim. While it remained on the table, he said, Tehran “wants to make a deal”.However, early Friday, Iranian media reported multiple explosions across southern Iran, including in Bushehr, where one of the country’s nuclear plants is located, along with Konarak, Choghadak and Bandar Abbas.The US denied any involvement in causing those explosions and, later on Friday morning, it appeared that the guns had finally fallen silent as mediating nations were attempting to get diplomacy back on track. A US official told Al Jazeera that Washington remains committed to negotiations.While neither side has officially called off talks or declared the MoU at an end, each has accused the other of violating it.So what do we know about whether talks will continue and, if they do, when will that happen?What talks have happened so far?The US and Iran signed their MoU on June 17, agreeing to stick to a ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon, for 60 days to allow for a lasting peace deal to be negotiated. In the MoU, Iran agreed to allow free passage for shipping through the Strait of Hormuz for that period, while the US agreed to lift sanctions on Iranian oil as well as its naval blockade of Iranian ports.Talks were then set to begin in Switzerland to agree details about the future of the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s frozen assets, long-term sanctions relief and Tehran’s nuclear programme, among other issues. However, these were delayed as Israel continued to bombard southern Lebanon, where it has occupied about one-fifth of the country.Some direct talks did take place in Switzerland, but since early this month the two sides have engaged in indirect “technical” talks in the Qatari capital Doha. These were paused for the ongoing weeklong funeral processions of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the first US-Israeli strikes on Tehran on February 28.Trump had also promised US attacks would not resume during the funeral proceedings. When were the talks due to resume?Talks had been expected to resume following the state funeral events in Iran, around July 11. However, since the US has struck Iran this week – for the third time while peace talks were ongoing and also during the state funeral proceedings – it is unclear if or when this will happen.Iranian state media reported early on Friday that the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had been buried in his birthplace of Mashhad at the Shrine of Imam Reza, a vast religious complex with a large golden dome and flanking gilded minarets at the heart of the city. That event marked the conclusion of his funeral.Iran has previously stated that the US’s habit of launching attacks as talks are ongoing – as it did during the Israel-Iran war last year, and on February 28 this year – caused Tehran not to trust the US leadership.How likely is it that talks will resume at all?On Wednesday, Trump threw the prospect of talks continuing into serious doubt when he said that he thought the MoU with Iran was “over” and described Iranian leaders as “sick people” after Iran and the US exchanged military attacks.Trump described the US attacks as justified following Iran’s strikes on ships in the Strait of Hormuz – an act he said broke the terms of the MoU.However, Trump’s own messaging was mixed.On the one hand, Trump said: “I think it’s over. I don’t want to deal with them any more; they’re scum.”On the other hand, Trump said US negotiators would be allowed to continue talks with their Iranian counterparts.“Frankly, I don’t want to waste my time with them. Now, I’ll let our wonderful negotiators keep talking if they want, but I don’t see it,” Trump said.Now, a US official has told Al Jazeera that the US negotiating team is committed to continuing talks with Iran.Iran has indicated it is not willing to negotiate while US attacks are ongoing.The country’s political leaders condemned the new wave of attacks this week and denounced the US strikes as a “war crime”. They accused Washington of violating the MoU, which stipulates a ceasefire on all fronts.Tehran has also launched a formal complaint against the US with the United Nations Security Council and the UN Secretary-General.In a Thursday post on X, Parliament Speaker Muhammad Ghalibaf, a key negotiator in the ongoing talks, accused Washington of “bullying” tactics.“America still hasn’t learned that bullying and breaking promises are no longer cost-free. Let me put it plainly: if you strike, you’ll get hit,” Ghalibaf wrote.What was agreed in the MoU? Ceasefire in Iran: The MoU agreed on a cessation of hostilities that ensued following the beginning of the Iran war. Ceasefire in Lebanon: The first clause of the MoU states that the US and Iran have agreed to the “immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon”. It adds that both sides will respect Lebanon’s territorial integrity. However, Israel continued attacks for the first few days after the MoU was signed. Strait of Hormuz: The MoU states that the US will lift its naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and that Iran will ensure the safe passage of vessels through the strait. Iran’s nuclear stockpile: In the MoU, Iran reaffirms that it will not procure or develop nuclear weapons. Lifting of sanctions: The MoU says the US will lift sanctions from Iran. Why does each side say the other has violated this agreement?Iran claims the US has failed to honour its commitments by restarting attacks and failing to stop Israel’s attacks on and occupation of southern Lebanon.In particular, Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs described “aggressive attacks” by the US military on sites throughout southern coastal provinces and two railway bridges as “a grave war crime”. The ministry accused the US of breaching Articles 1 and 5 of the MoU on ending the war.Washington, on the other hand, blames Tehran for failing to allow ships to safely transit the strait. Iran has struck several ships in the Strait of Hormuz since the start of the ceasefire.A tanker caught fire off the coast of Oman on Monday night after being struck by an “unknown projectile” in the Strait of Hormuz, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).Separately citing two unnamed US officials, news outlet Axios reported that Iran’s IRGC fired at least two missiles at commercial ships transiting through the strait on Monday night.Arguments have also arisen over Iran’s plans to charge fees for ships using the strait, which the US rejects. For now, the MoU only states that passage will be free for 60 days, and Iran is unlikely to back down on the plan.“The idea to impose environmental or service fees, possibly with Oman, reflects Iran’s effort to convert its sovereignty over half of the strait into lasting influence,” Mohsen Milani, a professor of politics at the University of South Florida, told Al Jazeera this week.“Iran’s most important strategic gain remains tied to its newfound ability to exert influence in the strait. But it hasn’t yet achieved what it set out to do as the fighting ended, which was to establish a system that both recognised its control of the strait and established a mechanism for its monetisation,” Michael Wahid Hanna, US programme director at the think tank International Crisis Group, told Al Jazeera.What’s the main problem?Observers say the wording of the MoU is far too vague and open to interpretation on a number of points, which has caused disagreements to arise.Strait of HormuzArticle five of the MoU states:“Upon the signing of this MOU, the Islamic Republic of Iran will make arrangements using its best efforts for the safe passage of commercial vessels with no charge for 60 days only from the Persian Gulf to the Sea of Oman and vice versa. The traffic of commercial vessels will immediately start, and considering the need for removing the technical and military obstacles and demining by the Islamic Republic of Iran will be instated within 30 days. The Islamic Republic of Iran will conduct dialogue with the Sultanate of Oman to define the future administration and maritime services and the Strait of Hormuz in discussion with other Persian Gulf rhetorical states in line with the applicable international law and the sovereign rights of coastal states of the Strait of Hormuz.”This is the one the US says Iran has violated by firing on ships not sticking to an IRGC-approved route through the strait.Following the start of the war, in early March, the IRGC closed the Strait of Hormuz to shipping. In April, it said a number of ships could pass with its approval and issued a map of a safe route for these ships to use.(Al Jazeera)However, following the signing of the MoU, some ships have stuck to an older route, approved by Oman and the US, much closer to the coast of Oman and without coordinating with Iran. That goes through an area designated “restricted” by the IRGC on the map it issued.Negar Mortazavi, a senior fellow at the Center for International Policy, told Al Jazeera that this has established “parallel shipping routes and security mechanisms” in the strait for which there is no reference in the MoU.“Iran sees that as a direct violation of the MoU, and that’s why Hormuz has become the first major test of how the agreement will be interpreted and enforced,” she told Al Jazeera.LebanonArticle one of the MoU states:“The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran and their allies in the current war, by signing the MOU, declare the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon, and undertake from now on not to initiate any war or any military operation against each other and to refrain from the threat or use of force against each other and ensuring the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Lebanon. The final deal will confirm the permanent termination of the war on all fronts, including in Lebanon and other provisions of this paragraph.”This is the main one Iran says the US has violated, first by allowing Israel to continue attacks on Lebanon and, second, by launching attacks this week.While the MoU refers to a ceasefire in Lebanon, it makes no specific mention of Israel, which currently occupies one-fifth of its northern neighbour’s territory and has subjected Lebanon to near-daily attacks since early March, killing at least 3,000 people and displacing more than one million from their homes. Israel says it is targeting strongholds belonging to Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Lebanese armed group that began firing rockets into northern Israel after the first US-Israeli strikes on Tehran on February 28.Given that the agreement is solely between the US and Iran – Israel and Hezbollah are not signatories – it was immediately unclear how a ceasefire in Lebanon would be implemented, or whether it meant Iran must stop funding Hezbollah. In fact, Iran’s support for proxy groups around the region generally is not mentioned in the agreement.Israel continued attacks on Lebanon following the signing of the MoU until they agreed to a new framework agreement in late June after four days of marathon talks in Washington, DC, brokered by the US.However, that deal is shaky, experts say, as it does not specifically call for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon and instead ties it to the disarmament of Hezbollah – a condition repeatedly rejected by the Iran-backed armed group.Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem rejected the framework agreement, calling it “null and void”. Hezbollah has demanded that Israel first end its occupation.