The US has paused strikes on Iran for a second night as diplomatic negotiations to avoid a return to all-out war continued on Sunday. Donald Trump is said to be weighing up diplomatic and military options in the nearly five-month-old conflict, with Benjamin Netanyahu expected to visit the White House on Tuesday.
Iran halts retaliatory attacks
Tehran said on Sunday it would pause what it called “retaliatory” attacks against US allies in the region. “These [US] attacks continued until two nights ago, but over the past two nights the Americans have stopped their attacks,” said army spokesperson Mohammad Akraminia. “Our strategy has essentially been retaliatory, we have also halted our retaliatory operations.”
Pentagon accused of cover-up
Senior officials in the Trump administration are reported to have warned the president about dwindling munitions stockpiles that could hamper a sustained military campaign. Asked on NBC’s Meet the Press whether Trump was ruling out additional strikes, UN ambassador Mike Waltz said: “I wouldn’t go that far at all. The president is keeping all options on the table.”
Diplomatic efforts to reopen Strait of Hormuz
The lull in fighting, which began on Friday evening, follows nearly two weeks of strikes and the collapse of a ceasefire brokered by Trump. Washington blamed Iran for strikes on US forces and its closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a conduit for an estimated 20% of the world’s oil and gas. Senior diplomats from Iran and Oman were said to be holding negotiations on reopening the waterway, with Iran demanding payment and control over shipping.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told a press conference: “Mediators are working and trying to prevent tension from escalating.” But an army spokesperson signaled defiance, saying the US had “no clear strategy” and was “experiencing strategic decision-making fatigue”.
Trump warned of military risks
US Vice-President JD Vance and Joint Chiefs Chair Dan Caine warned Trump of the risks of a renewed campaign at an Oval Office meeting on Friday, according to media reports. Trump then ordered the military to call off new strikes, which he had warned could “knock out everything they have”. Trump told reporters: “We’re talking to [the Iranians] right now. I think they’re getting more and more serious as the days go by. We’re locked and loaded and ready to go, but we’re talking to them.”
Netanyahu set for Washington visit amid West Bank violence
Netanyahu’s office announced he would convene a security cabinet meeting before leaving for Washington on Monday. He played a key role in lobbying Trump to launch joint strikes against Iran in February and has urged a tough line on Iran’s nuclear and missile programme. The visit comes amid some of the worst violence this year in the West Bank, after the deaths of four Palestinians and two Israelis when armed settlers entered a Palestinian village.
