Trump hits pause on Iran attacks but the threat of war remains

International

FOR a second night, the skies over Iran have remained quieter as President Donald Trump holds back further strikes, creating a brief window for diplomacy amid a conflict that has already reshaped regional tensions.

According to US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz, the president is giving negotiations room to progress while keeping military options available.

Speaking to Fox News on Sunday, Waltz said Trump was "giving talks some space, he's giving it a little bit of room".

The pause follows nearly two weeks of daily US strikes and retaliatory attacks between Washington and Tehran, effectively ending the ceasefire agreement reached in June.

An Iranian army spokesperson said on Sunday that Tehran had also halted "retaliatory" attacks in the region in response to the pause.

However, US officials stressed that the move does not signal an end to possible military action. Asked by NBC whether Trump had decided against escalation, Waltz said the administration was still considering all available options and had not ruled out further action.

Waltz also pushed back against a New York Times report that administration officials had raised concerns about the potential strain of a wider conflict on US air defence supplies. He said the US military has sufficient resources to continue carrying out the campaign effectively.

As of Sunday evening, Trump had not publicly addressed the latest developments. Earlier, however, he shared computer-generated images on his Truth Social account depicting US military aircraft bombing Iranian ships and Kharg island.

Diplomatic discussions continued alongside the military standoff, with Iran and Oman holding several rounds of technical talks in Tehran on Friday and Saturday over the management of the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei.

The strategic waterway has remained a major point of disagreement between Washington and Tehran. Disputes over control of the strait intensified earlier this month and continue to stand in the way of a permanent resolution to the conflict.

In June, Iran and the United States signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at halting military operations, reopening the Strait of Hormuz and reaching an agreement to end the war within 60 days.

The arrangement collapsed after Iranian forces attacked tankers in the Strait of Hormuz on 13 July. The United States then resumed airstrikes on Iran and reinstated its naval blockade on Iranian ports.

Iran responded with attacks on US military facilities and bases across the Middle East, killing four American soldiers. Iran's health ministry said subsequent US strikes have killed dozens of people.

In the United Kingdom, Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said he would meet US counterpart Pete Hegseth in the coming week to discuss security in the Strait of Hormuz, a key global route for oil, liquid natural gas and other essential commodities.

"When it comes to securing maritime freedom and free commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, that's where we are absolutely aligned," Streeting told the BBC.

Streeting said Britain and the United States share common goals on protecting maritime security and maintaining the free movement of commercial shipping through the waterway.

The renewed fighting has also affected global energy markets. Oil prices reached $100 a barrel earlier this week for the first time since May, driven by concerns that continued hostilities could disrupt energy supplies.

The conflict remains unpopular among many Americans, with a new CBS/YouGov poll showing that 57% of respondents are frustrated by the war, while only 19% said they were optimistic about the situation.

Official figures show thousands of people have been killed across the Middle East since the US-Israeli war with Iran began in February, with the majority of deaths reported in Iran and Lebanon.

Trump is scheduled to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Tuesday, with regional security expected to be among the issues discussed.(MyTVCebu)