President Donald Trump paused attacks on Iran for the second night in a row to give diplomacy more time, the US ambassador to the UN said.
Speaking to Fox News on Sunday, Ambassador Mike Walz said the president is “giving the negotiations some space, he’s giving them some space.”
An Iranian army spokesman said on Sunday that Tehran had responded by stopping “retaliatory” attacks in the region.
The pause followed nearly two weeks of daily US strikes and tit-for-tat attacks, effectively undermining a ceasefire agreed to in June.
Asked whether Trump had decided against escalation for now, Walz told NBC: “I wouldn’t go that far at all. The president has all options on the table.”
Waltz also denied the New York Times reports.external that administration officials had warned that increased fighting could dangerously deplete dwindling air defense ammunition supplies.
“The U.S. military… is equipped to conduct this campaign as effectively as necessary,” he said.
As of Sunday evening, Trump had not spoken publicly about the latest developments, but had previously posted computer-generated images on his Truth Social account showing U.S. warplanes bombing Iranian ships and Kharg Island.
Meanwhile, Iran and Oman held several rounds of technical talks in Tehran on Friday and Saturday to discuss management of the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghaei said.
Disputes over control of the strait reignited tensions between the US and Iran earlier this month, and it remains a major obstacle to a permanent end to the war.
In June, Iran and the United States signed a memorandum of understanding to cease military operations and open the strait, and to reach an agreement to end the war within the next 60 days.
But after Iranian forces attacked tankers in the Strait of Hormuz on July 13, the US resumed airstrikes on the country and renewed a naval blockade of Iranian ports.
Iran responded with attacks on US military installations and bases in the Middle East, resulting in the deaths of four US soldiers. US strikes have since killed dozens of people, according to Iran’s health ministry.
In Britain, new Defense Secretary Wes Streeting said he would meet his US counterpart Pete Hegseth in the coming week to discuss the strait, which is one of the world’s key shipping routes for oil, liquefied natural gas and other essential goods.
“When it comes to ensuring freedom of navigation and free commercial traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, we are absolutely united on this,” Streeting told the BBC.
Earlier this week, oil prices hit $100 a barrel for the first time since May as renewed fighting heightened concerns about global energy supplies.
As the war enters its fifth month, it remains largely unpopular in the US, with a new CBS/YouGov poll showing 57% of Americans are disillusioned by the conflict and only 19% are optimistic.
Thousands of people have been killed in the Middle East since the US-Israeli war with Iran began in February, with the vast majority coming from Iran and Lebanon, officials said.
President Trump is set to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Tuesday.