Donald Trump’s renewed tensions with Iran stem from a misunderstanding over their earlier deal, a former UK ambassador to Tehran has claimed.

The warring countries reached a fragile ceasefire along with an interim agreement in June after months of conflict.

But hostilities returned this week after Iran attacked commercial ships travelling through the major shipping lane, the Strait of Hormuz.

The US retaliated by launching two nights of strikes on Iran while Tehran hit back by attacking US bases in Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain.

There’s been further confusion after Iran accused the US of a “flagrant breach” of their truce.

Trump initially claimed talks are a “waste of time” but on Thursday morning suggested Iran wanted to “make a deal”.

But former UK ambassador to Iran, Nicholas Hopton, told Sky News it does not look like this will turn into a “full blown conflict again”.

He said: “Essentially, this arises from a misunderstanding about the Strait of Hormuz which was addressed in the Memorandum of Understanding.”

The memorandum paved the way for the two countries to reach a final agreement over the following 60 days.

Trump agreed to a deal with plenty of concessions amid international pressure to get Iran to end its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and boost the oil industry again.

But Hopton said article five of that deal was always “ambiguous”.

He noted that the Iranians interpreted it as meaning they should be consulted and have control over any ship passing through the Strait.

Meanwhile, the US interpreted it as the Iranians should facilitate and make sure all journeys through the waterway are peaceful.

He said: “The Iranian side was tested when ships passed through without consulting earlier this week. They hit these ships, they probably felt they had to to assert their de facto control ongoing over shipping through the Strait.

“Obviously, that led to US retaliation and the tit-for-tat strikes.”

He predicted these frictions will “carry on in a messy way” until the two sides return to negotiations.

Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.