US President Donald Trump has paused military attacks on Iran for a second consecutive night as Washington gives diplomatic efforts more time, according to the US ambassador to the United Nations.
Mike Waltz said on Sunday that Trump was allowing negotiations “some space” following nearly two weeks of daily US strikes and retaliatory Iranian attacks across the region.
An Iranian army spokesperson later announced that Tehran had also suspended what it described as retaliatory operations.
However, Waltz stressed that Washington had not ruled out further military escalation and that Trump was continuing to keep all options available.
The pause represents a temporary de-escalation after renewed fighting effectively collapsed the ceasefire agreed between Washington and Tehran in June.
US denies weapons shortage reports
Waltz dismissed reports that senior US officials had warned that an expanded war could place dangerous pressure on Washington’s depleted stockpiles of air-defence weapons.
He insisted that the US military had sufficient resources to continue the campaign if ordered to do so.
Trump had not publicly addressed the latest pause as of Sunday evening.
Earlier, however, he posted computer-generated images on his Truth Social platform depicting US warplanes bombing Iranian ships and Iran’s Kharg Island.
The images were published despite the ongoing diplomatic efforts and uncertainty over whether the temporary halt in attacks would hold.
Strait of Hormuz
Iranian and Omani officials held several rounds of technical negotiations in Tehran on Friday and Saturday focused on the management of the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei.
The strategic waterway remains one of the central obstacles to a permanent end to the conflict.
The US and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding in June that included commitments to halt military operations, reopen the strait and negotiate an end to the war within 60 days.
However, the agreement began to unravel after Iranian forces allegedly attacked oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz on 13 July.
The US subsequently resumed airstrikes against Iran and reinstated a naval blockade targeting Iranian ports.
Iran responded by attacking US military bases and facilities across the Middle East, killing four American soldiers.
Dozens of people have been killed by subsequent US strikes, according to Iran’s Health Ministry.
Britain backs US position on shipping route
Britain’s new Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said he would meet his US counterpart Pete Hegseth during the coming week to discuss security in the Strait of Hormuz.
Streeting said Britain and the US were aligned on maintaining maritime access and protecting commercial shipping through the waterway.
The strait is one of the world’s most important transport routes for oil, liquefied natural gas and other commodities.
Renewed fighting pushed oil prices above $100 a barrel earlier this week for the first time since May, intensifying concerns over international energy supplies and the economic consequences of a prolonged conflict.
US public increasingly frustrated by war
The conflict is approaching its fifth month and remains deeply unpopular among the American public.
A CBS/YouGov poll found that 57% of Americans were frustrated by the war, while only 19% said they were optimistic about its direction.
Thousands of people have been killed across the Middle East since the US-Israeli war against Iran began in February, with official figures indicating that the overwhelming majority of casualties have been recorded in Iran and Lebanon.
Trump is expected to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Tuesday as diplomatic efforts continue and the threat of renewed military escalation remains.
