US and Iran Pause Attacks as Diplomatic Efforts Resume
The United States and Iran have halted their attacks for a second consecutive day as both nations attempt to return to ceasefire negotiations. The pause comes after nearly two weeks of intense military escalation in the Persian Gulf region.
Mutual Pause in Hostilities
The United States and Iran paused their attacks for a second straight day Sunday, as efforts continued to bring them back to negotiations on an interim ceasefire deal largely undermined by recent exchanges of fire. It was not clear why the U.S. has paused after targeting Iranian coastal areas and infrastructure in a nearly two-week escalation sparked by Iran's firing at ships trying to transit the Strait of Hormuz.
Diplomatic Path Forward
The U.S. military has paused its airstrikes on Iran after nearly two weeks of intensifying bombing, while diplomatic efforts have pushed forward to try to avert a return to all-out war. U.S. President Donald Trump is "giving talks some space. He's giving it a little bit of room," Mike Waltz, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, told Fox News.
Negotiations on Hormuz Access
Both the U.S. and Iran want to return to the interim ceasefire deal and a compromise, which is being negotiated now, centers around having Iran run vessel transit through the Strait of Hormuz with fewer restrictions. The negotiations represent a potential breakthrough after weeks of escalating tensions in one of the world's most critical shipping lanes.
Broader Regional Context
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to travel to the United States and meet with Trump in Washington on Tuesday, his office has said. The Iranian-backed Hezbollah fired at Israel two days after the war began, and Israel responded with airstrikes and ground forces in southern Lebanon. Since then, the U.S. has supported landmark direct talks between Lebanon and Israel to try to calm that front and find a way to disarm Hezbollah.