US pauses Iran strikes as diplomacy gains momentum

Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - WASHINGTON — The United States has paused its airstrikes on Iran after nearly two weeks of escalating military action, as diplomatic efforts intensify to prevent a return to full-scale conflict.

No U.S. strikes were reported overnight after 13 consecutive nights of bombing, raising hopes that the lull could create space for negotiations, although President Donald Trump has continued to warn that military action could resume if diplomacy fails.

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The pause comes ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's expected visit to Washington next week, adding another layer of uncertainty to efforts aimed at de-escalating the conflict, which will reach its five-month mark on Tuesday.

Regional mediators said negotiations were continuing to preserve the interim ceasefire reached in June and reduce tensions surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly one-fifth of the world's oil supply normally passes.

A regional official involved in the mediation efforts said both Washington and Tehran were seeking a return to the ceasefire framework and were discussing arrangements that would ease restrictions on commercial shipping through the strategic waterway. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the talks.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei confirmed that Iranian and Omani officials held several rounds of technical talks over the weekend, saying discussions had made progress and would continue.

The Strait of Hormuz has been at the center of the conflict since Iran began targeting commercial shipping after the outbreak of the war, disrupting global energy supplies and driving up oil prices.

In response, the U.S. military expanded its campaign from targeting Iran's coastal defenses to striking infrastructure deeper inside the country, aiming to reduce Tehran's ability to threaten maritime traffic.

Despite the diplomatic activity, tensions remain high across the region.

Meanwhile, the U.S. military said it had disabled a Mozambique-flagged vessel in the Gulf of Oman after it allegedly attempted to violate a U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports and ignored repeated warnings.

Trump has continued to pair military threats with calls for diplomacy.

"You can just keep doing exactly what we're doing and take them apart piece by piece," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Friday. "Or we can negotiate with them, which we're also doing right now."

The president said he did not believe Iran was yet ready to reach an agreement but suggested Tehran was becoming increasingly serious about negotiations.

"I think they're getting more and more serious as the days go by," he said.

Trump met Friday with senior national security advisers to review the conflict and consider whether to maintain the current military posture or escalate operations further, according to a U.S. official familiar with the discussions.

Despite concerns that higher fuel prices could hurt Republicans in November's midterm elections, Trump insisted political considerations would not dictate his decisions.

"We have to do it right," he said. "Elections take care of themselves."