US, Iran pause strikes as talks gain ground

The United States and Iran announced pause in their strikes after nearly two weeks of consecutive nightly strikes, raising hopes of renewed diplomacy as mediators intensified efforts to bring both sides back to negotiations.

Iran passed a second consecutive night without US airstrikes on Sunday after President Donald Trump halted the bombing campaign, which is nearing its fifth month. The pause came as reports emerged that concerns over dwindling US missile defence stockpiles had contributed to delaying further military escalation.

According to Reuters, Iran has also suspended its retaliatory attacks for two days. A senior Iranian official said Tehran would halt its operations as long as Washington maintained its pause, while warning that Iran was prepared to respond broadly if the United States resumed its strikes.

US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said Trump had paused the attacks to give diplomacy more time. "He's giving talks some space, he's giving it a little bit of room," Waltz said.

According to an AFP report, the lull revived hopes of returning to negotiations after almost two weeks of continuous US bombardment. However, US media said the decision could also reflect pressure on American stocks of Patriot interceptors and other defensive weapons.

The New York Times and CNN reported that concerns over missile defence supplies, along with fears of a wider regional conflict, influenced the decision to suspend plans for further escalation. Vice President JD Vance and senior military officials had raised concerns about the implications of expanding the conflict.

Meanwhile, diplomatic activity gathered momentum. Anadolu Agency, citing its sources, reported that Pakistan and Qatar had intensified exchanges of messages between Washington and Tehran after both sides communicated their responses to a joint proposal aimed at ending the conflict.

The proposal reportedly calls for both countries to return to their pre-July 9 positions, paving the way for renewed negotiations. The sources said both sides had indicated their willingness to pursue dialogue and diplomacy, although they cautioned that the current pause remained fragile.

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei confirmed that messages continued to be exchanged between Iran and the United States through mediators. He also said Iran-Oman talks over Strait of Hormuz were productive. Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said Lebanon's territorial integrity, end of Israeli aggression 'primary conditions' to end war with US.

The conflict has expanded beyond the Strait of Hormuz to include attacks on US military bases, regional shipping and Gulf allies. Iran's army warned on Sunday that the war could widen further if Washington resumed airstrikes.

At the same time, Yemen's Houthis said they had struck Saudi Aramco facilities in Jizan and Yanbu after Saudi Arabia carried out strikes against Houthi targets. Greek-operated air defence systems in Saudi Arabia intercepted two ballistic missiles and a drone over Yanbu, according to Greek authorities.

In a separate development, Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that an oil tanker exploded in the Strait of Hormuz after striking a naval mine outside the shipping route designated by Iran. Iranian authorities had not issued an official statement on the incident.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran could not be blamed for the latest escalation between Yemen and Saudi Arabia and offered to help broker talks between Yemen's Houthi movement and Saudi Arabia, saying there was "no military solution".