Trump paused attacks on Iran to make space for talks, US ambassador says
President Donald Trump paused attacks on Iran for a second night in a row to give more time for diplomacy, the US ambassador to the UN said.
Speaking to Fox News on Sunday, Ambassador Mike Waltz said the president “gave the conversation some space, made some space.”
An Iranian military spokesman said on Sunday that Tehran had stopped “retaliatory” attacks in the region in response.
The pause follows almost two weeks of US strikes and tit-for-tat attacks, effectively breaking a ceasefire agreed in June.
Asked if Trump had decided not to escalate for now, Waltz told NBC: “I wouldn’t go that far. The president is keeping all options on the table.”
Waltz also refused Reports in the New York Times, external It was stated that administration officials warned that increased hostilities could dangerously deplete the dwindling air defense ammunition stock.
“The U.S. military … has everything it needs to carry out this campaign as effectively as it needs to be,” he said.
As of Sunday evening, Trump had not spoken publicly about the latest developments, but he had previously posted computer-generated images on his Truth Social account showing US military aircraft bombing Iranian ships and the island of Kharg.
Meanwhile, Iran and Oman held several rounds of technical talks in Tehran on Friday and Saturday to discuss the management of the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei.
Disagreements over control of the strait reignited US-Iran tensions earlier this month and remain a major obstacle to a permanent end to the war.
Iran and the United States signed a memorandum of understanding in June to reach an agreement to cease military operations and reopen the strait, as well as ending the war within the next 60 days.
However, after Iranian forces attacked tankers in the Strait of Hormuz on July 13, the United States resumed air strikes on the country and resumed its naval blockade of Iranian ports.
Iran retaliated with attacks on US military installations and bases in the Middle East, killing four American soldiers. The US strikes have since killed dozens of people, according to Iran’s health ministry.
In Britain, new Defense Minister Wes Streeting said he will meet with his US counterpart Pete Hegseth next week to discuss the strait, which is one of the world’s most important transportation routes for oil, liquid natural gas and other essential goods.
“When it comes to ensuring freedom of the seas and free commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, we are absolutely on the same page,” Streeting told the BBC.
Earlier this week, oil prices reached $100 a barrel for the first time since May as renewed conflict raised fears about global energy supplies.
As the war approaches its fifth month, it remains hugely popular in the United States; A new poll from CBS/YouGov suggests that 57% of Americans are disappointed with the conflict and only 19% are optimistic.
Official figures show thousands of people have been killed in the Middle East since the US-Israeli war with Iran began in February, with the vast majority coming from Iran and Lebanon.
President Trump will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Tuesday.
