Strikes Again Are Paused as Trump Gives Talks 'Space'

The Iran war was quiet Sunday, the second straight day with neither side reported to have carried out any strikes. The Tehran government signaled that talks over control of the Strait of Hormuz had inched forward, saying that Omani officials who act as go-betweens for the two nations described discussions as "useful," the New York Times reports. On the US side, aides said President Trump was holding up on escalating attacks to give negotiations with Iran some time, per the Washington Post.

Before the weekend pause, the US had launched heavy strikes for 13 consecutive days, accompanied by Trump's warnings of an escalation ahead. UN Ambassador Mike Waltz said Sunday that Trump is keeping "all options on the table" and hasn't ruled out an escalation. "What the president is doing right now, as we've seen all along, is giving some talks some space," he said on NBC's Meet the Press. Negotiations are being held "on every level," Waltz said, adding that the pause isn't caused in part by concerns over US munitions running low, per the Post. "The US military, and I've verified this every which way, has everything that it needs to conduct this campaign," he said.