The United States paused its attacks on Iran for a second straight day Sunday and Tehran said it had done so too, as efforts continued to bring the countries back to negotiations on an interim ceasefire deal largely undermined by recent exchanges of fire.
President Donald Trump has paused attacks on Iran to allow more room for diplomacy, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations said on Sunday.
"He's giving talks some space, he's giving it a little bit of room," Mike Waltz told the "Fox News Sunday" program.
Waltz did not provide further detail on the nature of the talks, but there has been a weekend lull in the fighting between Iran and the United States. The Pentagon paused bombing operations after 13 nights of escalating strikes and there were no weekend reports of attacks by Iran on its neighbors.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to questions Sunday.
“President (Donald) Trump has always been consistent in saying he prefers a diplomatic solution, but he continues to retain all options if Iran continues terrorist activities in the Strait of Hormuz or against allies," White House communications director Steven Cheung said, adding: “It would be wise for Iran to work toward a negotiated deal. Otherwise, they know what will happen.”
Since the United States has halted attacks for the past two nights, Iran has as well, its army spokesperson told Iran’s state TV on Sunday. Tehran in recent days has counterattacked against countries in the region hosting U.S. military forces, killing at least three at a base in Jordan.
Concerns continued about shipping on the strait and now on another crucial waterway in the region, the Bab al-Mandeb strait to the Red Sea. Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists in Yemen last week threatened a blockade of Saudi shipping there.
Global energy supplies and the economy remain in the balance as gasoline prices have risen again.
Iran on Sunday said it continued to speak with Oman about managing the safe passage of ships on the Strait of Hormuz, which passes between the countries. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, said talks had made progress and continued.
Baghaei also said the strait's status remained unchanged. Tehran has asserted that the interim deal with the United States allows it to manage shipping on the waterway for now, and it has objected to U.S. efforts to support a route through the strait that passes close to Oman instead.
Netanyahu Says He ‘Fully’ Backs Trump's Efforts
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to travel to the United States and meet with Trump in Washington on Tuesday, his office has said. They last met in Washington in February, weeks before they launched the war on Iran that killed senior leaders including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.The Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorist group fired at Israel two days after the war began, and Israel responded with airstrikes and ground forces in southern Lebanon. Since then, the United States has supported landmark direct talks between Lebanon and Israel to try to calm that front and find a way to disarm Hezbollah.
Netanyahu on Sunday told Fox News he “fully” backs Trump's efforts to weaken Iran and press it to end its nuclear program, adding: “If he can do so without returning to intense military fighting, that’s fine. Why not?”
The prime minister indicated he would not present new information to “our good friend” Trump and instead would listen to “what he has in mind, because I think in many ways, it’s his decision.”
But Netanyahu warned that if Iran again attacks Israel, directly or with armed proxies, “it will make a terrible mistake.”