President Donald Trump has paused US attacks on Iran for a second consecutive night to allow more time for diplomacy, according to the US ambassador to the United Nations.
Speaking to Fox News on Sunday, Ambassador Mike Waltz said the president 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, which effectively ended the ceasefire agreed in June.
An Iranian army spokesperson said Tehran had also halted “retaliatory” attacks in the region in response to the pause.
Oil prices fell sharply after the development, opening at $91 per barrel on Monday after reaching $100 for the first time since May last week.
Asked whether President Trump had ruled out further military action, Waltz told NBC: “I wouldn’t go that far at all. The president is keeping all options on the table.”
He also dismissed a New York Times report that administration officials had warned a wider conflict could significantly reduce US air defence missile stockpiles.
“The US military… has everything that it needs to conduct this campaign as effectively as it needs to be,” Waltz said.
Although Trump had not publicly commented on the latest developments by Sunday evening, he earlier posted computer-generated images on Truth Social showing US military aircraft bombing Iranian ships and Kharg Island.
Iran and Oman held technical talks in Tehran on Friday and Saturday on managing the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei.
Control of the strategic waterway has remained a major obstacle to ending the conflict permanently. Iran and the US signed a memorandum of understanding in June to halt military operations, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and work towards ending the war within 60 days.
However, after Iranian forces attacked tankers in the Strait of Hormuz on 13 July, the US resumed airstrikes and reinstated its naval blockade on Iranian ports.
Iran responded with attacks on US military facilities across the Middle East, killing four American soldiers. Iran’s health ministry said the renewed US strikes have since killed dozens of people.
UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting is due to meet his US counterpart, Pete Hegseth, this week to discuss security in the Strait of Hormuz.
“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.
Oil prices climbed to $100 per barrel last week as the renewed fighting raised concerns over global energy supplies.
A new CBS/YouGov poll suggests public support for the conflict remains low in the United States, with 57% of Americans saying they are frustrated by the war and only 19% saying they are optimistic.
President Trump is due to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Tuesday.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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