Agencies | Doha:
The United States and Iran have reportedly reached a preliminary arrangement to extend their ongoing ceasefire, although the proposal is still awaiting approval from US President Donald Trump, according to Axios.
The development came after Iran launched strikes targeting a US air base in Kuwait on Thursday, days after Washington carried out attacks linked to what it described as an Iranian drone operation.
According to the report, both countries have agreed to a 60-day memorandum of understanding aimed at preserving the truce while initiating talks over Tehran’s nuclear programme. However, the proposed framework has not yet received Trump’s final clearance.
Iran Targets US Base in Kuwait
The latest exchange of attacks highlighted the fragile nature of efforts to transform the shaky ceasefire reached in early April into a permanent agreement aimed at ending the three-month conflict, which has left thousands dead and disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
According to US Central Command, American forces intercepted five Iranian attack drones and struck a ground control facility in Bandar Abbas that was allegedly preparing to launch another drone. Kuwaiti authorities later said they had intercepted a ballistic missile headed toward the country, which hosts a major US military base.
“These actions were measured, purely defensive and intended to maintain the ceasefire,” a US official told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had targeted the US base linked to an earlier strike near Bandar Abbas airport and warned that any future attacks would trigger a “more decisive response”, according to Tasnim news agency.
Kuwait Condemns Missile Attack
Kuwait strongly condemned the missile attack and urged Iran to immediately halt what it described as a dangerous escalation.
The renewed violence marked the second major flare-up this week and came during Eid al-Adha celebrations across the region. Several countries have been drawn into the conflict since US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28.
Meanwhile, Pakistan, which has been mediating between the two sides, announced that Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will hold talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on Friday, though officials have not disclosed details regarding the agenda or expected outcome of the meeting.
In Lebanon, Israel said it had launched strikes targeting Hezbollah-linked infrastructure in the southern city of Tyre and also carried out an operation in Beirut.
