As US calls off bombing, Iran hints it’ll halt strikes
Iran will halt its own attacks as long as the United States maintains a pause in airstrikes, a senior Iranian official told Reuters after President Donald Trump called off a two-week bombing campaign.
After 13 nights of intensified U.S. airstrikes against Iran, the Pentagon abruptly suspended the campaign late Friday, and no U.S. strikes were reported either Saturday or Sunday.
Iran, which follows US attacks every night with its own attacks on neighboring countries hosting US bases, has also opened fire for two days so far.
US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz told Fox News on Sunday that Trump decided to pause US attacks to give more time for diplomacy.
“It gives the speeches some space, some space,” Waltz said, without giving further details.
A senior Iranian source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters: “Iran’s stance remains ‘attack on attack’: if the attacks stop, Iran will also stop its operations. This message has already been conveyed to the US.”
The source added: “But Iran is ready to launch a broad response if the US launches a new attack.”
Asked about the pause, a senior Trump administration official said Saturday that the President “has always made it clear that his preference is diplomacy, but he has shown Iran what will happen if they do not come to the table seriously.”
US forces have been striking Iran every night in what it says is retaliation for Iranian attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran says it aims to maintain control of the strait, the world’s most important energy transportation route.
On Iran, @USAmbUN says, “The President is keeping all options on the table.” “Talks are ongoing. It’s happening at all levels… But what we see constantly is on the Iranian regime side, they are divided, there are internal conflicts…” pic.twitter.com/vfyKKdAsAm— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 26, 2026
The two-week-long US military campaign effectively undermined last month’s interim agreement aimed at ending the war the US and Israel launched in February.
The New York Times and CNN reported that Trump backed away from plans to escalate the war with even greater military options after concerns were raised by some of his advisers on Friday, including whether US missile defense stockpiles were dwindling from protecting US bases in the region.
CNN and NYT stated that Pentagon Chief of Staff Dan Caine expressed such concerns.
Vice President J.D. Vance also expressed reservations, CNN said.
Axios news site reported that Trump received plans to attack Iran from the Pentagon every afternoon for two weeks and signed these plans every night, until he was presented with the latest plan on Friday and decided not to proceed.
Trump’s decision to pause attacks marks a turning point in the war; Both sides were testing the limits of tensions they had identified before a ceasefire ended major fighting in April and an interim agreement reopened the Strait of Hormuz in June.
US forces have already struck bridges and tunnels in southern Iran, prompting Iran to attack water desalination plants that nearby Gulf Arab states use to make desert cities habitable.
Last week, Iran’s Houthi allies in Yemen announced a blockade of Saudi oil in the Red Sea, potentially closing a second major chokepoint for energy transportation.
This pushed the benchmark price of Brent crude above $100 for the first time since May.
On Saturday, Houthi militias opened fire on oil targets in the Saudi Red Sea for the first time in years.
