US and Iran pause strikes for third night to make space for talks, US ambassador says

US and Iran Suspend Strikes for Third Night as Diplomatic Efforts Continue, US Ambassador Says

President Donald Trump has paused US attacks on Iran for the third consecutive night to allow space for diplomacy, according to US ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz. Speaking on Fox News on Sunday, Waltz stated that the president was “giving talks some space, he’s giving it a little bit of room.”

An Iranian army spokesperson said on Sunday that Tehran had halted its retaliatory operations in the region. The current pause follows nearly two weeks of daily US strikes and reciprocal attacks that ended the June agreement to stop military operations.

Oil prices fell below $90 per barrel on Monday morning after reaching $100 the previous week for the first time since May.

When asked whether Trump had ruled out further escalation, Waltz told NBC that he “wouldn’t go that far at all” and that the president was keeping all options available. Waltz also rejected reports in the New York Times that administration officials had warned that expanded operations could deplete US air defence munitions stocks. He told NBC that “the US military has everything that it needs to conduct this campaign as effectively as it needs to be.” In a separate CBS interview, Waltz said additional military assets were moving into the region and that “the regime should believe the president when he says they’re locked and loaded, and where all options are on the table.”

As of Monday, Trump had not issued a public statement on the latest developments. Earlier he posted computer-generated images on his Truth Social account showing US aircraft striking Iranian ships and Kharg Island.

The pause comes after 13 consecutive nights of US strikes that Washington described as intended to reduce Iran’s capacity to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran and Oman conducted technical talks in Tehran on Friday and Saturday concerning management of the strait, according to Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei. Control of the waterway has been a central point of contention.

In June, Iran and the United States signed a memorandum of understanding in Versailles, France, that included mediation by Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and other regional parties. The document provided for a halt to military operations, reopening of the strait, and a 60-day period to reach a broader agreement. After Iranian forces attacked tankers in the strait on 13 July, the United States resumed airstrikes and reinstated its naval blockade of Iranian ports. Iran responded with strikes on US military facilities and bases across the Middle East, resulting in the deaths of four American soldiers. US strikes have since killed dozens of people, according to Iran’s health ministry; those figures have not been independently verified.

UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said he would meet US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth in the coming week to discuss the strait, a major route for oil, liquefied natural gas and other commodities. Streeting told the BBC that the two countries were aligned on securing maritime freedom and free commercial shipping.

Last week’s renewed fighting drove oil prices to $100 a barrel for the first time since May. A CBS/YouGov poll released last week found that 57 percent of Americans expressed frustration with the conflict and 19 percent described themselves as optimistic. Official figures indicate that thousands of people have been killed across the Middle East since the US-Israeli confrontation with Iran began in February, with the majority of reported deaths occurring in Iran and Lebanon.

President Trump is scheduled to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Tuesday.