Iran and the United States held their fire Sunday, handing Gulf shipping and the oil industry a respite from missile strikes as Donald Trump’s UN envoy said the president was “giving talks some space”.
Iran said it had halted retaliatory attacks against Washington’s allies in the Middle East, and US ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz told “Fox News Sunday” that, while forces remained “locked and loaded”, Trump would give negotiations “a little bit of room”.
Prior to Friday, the US military had carried out strikes on Iran for 13 consecutive nights, in the largest rekindling of the almost five-month-old war since an April ceasefire. But two consecutive nights have now passed without bombing.
“These attacks continued until two nights ago, but over the past two nights the Americans have stopped their attacks,” said Iran’s army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia. “Since… our strategy has essentially been retaliatory, we have also halted our retaliatory operations.”
Fighting over the strategic Strait of Hormuz derailed diplomatic efforts between Washington and Tehran. Still, the conflict then expanded beyond the vital energy corridor to include attacks on US bases, regional shipping and Gulf allies.
Unconfirmed Iranian media reports on Sunday said an oil tanker had been damaged by a sea mine.
‘One way or the other’
The recent lull has revived hopes of a return to negotiations, although American media reported the pause could also reflect pressure on US stockpiles of Patriot interceptors and other defensive weapons.
Waltz dismissed this idea, in a second interview with NBC News’ “Meet the Press”.
“I want to be crystal clear. The US military — and I’ve verified this every which way — has everything that it needs to conduct this campaign as effectively as it needs to be,” he insisted.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is due at the White House on Tuesday, and is expected to urge Trump to continue to take a tough line on Tehran, in particular on its nuclear programme.
Iran has long insisted the programme is for civilian purposes but which the US and its allies allege is aimed at developing a weapon.
Also speaking to Fox News, Netanyahu said he fully backed Trump’s efforts to shut down Iran’s nuclear programme.
“If he can do so without returning to intense military fighting, that’s fine. Why not? But one way or the other, they have to end their nuclear programme, and with a deal or without a deal, that has to come to an end,” he said.
Plans to escalate the US campaign have been shelved in part because of shrinking munitions supplies, The New York Times reported, citing two people briefed on the matter.