US and Iran pause their attacks after days of escalation
CAIRO (AP) — United States and Iranian Their attacks were halted for the second day in a row on Sunday as efforts to force them back to talks continued. temporary ceasefire agreement has been greatly weakened by recent conflict.
It wasn’t clear Why did the USA pause? After targeting Iran’s coastal areas and infrastructure in nearly two weeks of tension that began with Iran opening fire on ships trying to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. The Pentagon did not respond to questions.
US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said in a statement to Fox News that US President Donald Trump “gave some space to the talks.” “Over the past few weeks, especially in the last few days, both Oman and Iran and some of our other negotiators have engaged at all levels, from the highest levels to the technical level.”
Waltz rejected the idea that the United States’ stockpile of preventive weapons, vital to defending against Iranian attacks, is dwindling, but experts have questioned how long both the United States and Iran can sustain attacks.
A military spokesman told Iranian state television on Sunday that Iran had stopped the attacks because the United States had stopped them for the last two nights. Tehran has counterattacked countries in the region hosting US military forces in recent days, killing at least three people. service members At a base in Jordan and Iraq.
A regional official called the pause a ‘positive signal’
The 60-day period, which began with the signing of the interim agreement by both countries in mid-June, has now entered its second half, with important issues to be negotiated – especially Iran’s nuclear program Stand aside in the middle of tension – as mediators try to get both sides to talk.
A regional official involved in mediation efforts said diplomacy was continuing and the pause in U.S. and Iranian attacks was “a positive signal that helps de-escalation efforts.”
Both countries want to return, the official said. temporary ceasefire agreement and the negotiated compromise is stated to focus on Iran’s conduct of ship transit from Iran. Strait of Hormuz There are fewer restrictions on ships. The official was not authorized to discuss the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Shipping traffic in the Bosphorus is at its lowest level in the last 3 weeks
Concerns continued regarding shipping in the Bosphorus and now in another important waterway in the region. Bab el Mandeb strait To the Red Sea. Last week, Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen threatened to blockade Saudi ships there.
Global energy supply and economy remain in balance Gasoline prices increased again.
Commercial shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz is at its lowest level in three weeks, a maritime agency overseen by the US Navy said on Sunday, adding that no new attacks had been confirmed in the past 72 hours. It was stated that traffic remained constant in Bab el-Mandeb.
Iran said on Sunday it was continuing talks with Oman about managing the safe passage of ships in the Strait of Hormuz between the countries. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said the talks were making progress and continuing.
Baghaei also said that the status of the strait has not changed. Tehran has argued that the interim agreement with the United States allows it to manage shipping on the waterway for now, and has objected to U.S. efforts to support a route through the strait that passes near Oman instead. The Bosphorus was considered an international waterway before the war.
The US military said on Saturday: recently reimposed naval blockade Attacks against Iran continued; a dozen merchant ships were rerouted, two were disabled and two were boarded. He added that U.S. forces “remain highly alert, focused, lethal and ready.”
Netanyahu says he ‘fully’ supports Trump efforts
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said that he plans to go to the United States on Tuesday and meet with Trump in Washington. They last met in Washington in February. started the war It is about the killing of senior leaders in Iran, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iran-backed Hezbollah opened fire on Israel two days after the war began, and Israel responded with air strikes and ground forces in southern Lebanon. Since then, the United States has supported landmark direct talks between Lebanon and Israel to calm the front and find a way to disarm Hezbollah.
Speaking to Fox News on Sunday, Netanyahu said he “fully” supports Trump’s efforts to weaken Iran and pressure it to end its nuclear program, adding: “If he can do that without returning to intense military conflict, that’s fine. Why not?”
The Prime Minister said he would not provide new information to “our good friend” Trump and would instead “listen to what’s on his mind, because I think in many ways it’s his decision.”
But Netanyahu warned that Iran would “make a terrible mistake” if it attacked Israel again, either directly or through armed proxies.
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Anna reported from Lowville, New York. Associated Press writers Darlene Superville and Ben Finley in Washington contributed.
