US and Iran reach agreement to halt mutual strikes, officials say

WASHINGTON, United States — WASHINGTON — US officials said Washington and Tehran have reached an agreement to halt mutual strikes, with a meeting set for Tuesday in Doha, Qatar, focused on the Strait of Hormuz. The talks aim to defuse tensions around one of the world's most strategic maritime chokepoints, according to US officials. A direct communication channel between the US military and Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps had not yet been activated as of Saturday, reflecting the complexity of arranging military-to-military contact. The New York Times reported that planned technical talks between the two countries in Switzerland had not been canceled, with messaging channels remaining open and technical negotiations set to continue in the coming days. The Wall Street Journal had earlier reported that the talks were suspended after fighting resumed. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the technical negotiations would focus on the mechanism for implementing the agreement, a process that could take around 60 days, and that Iran was expected to comply with its terms. President Donald Trump said Iran had made major concessions, while Tehran denied some US statements regarding the use of frozen funds and the return of International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors. Further details on the Doha meeting and the implementation timeline were not immediately available.