U.S. Pauses Iran Strikes as Oman Talks Progress
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- U.S. military paused air strikes on Iran after 13 consecutive nights of bombing, with no strikes overnight as diplomatic efforts gained traction.
- Iran and Oman held several rounds of technical talks in Tehran over the weekend about the Strait of Hormuz, where roughly 20% of the world's oil normally transits and which Iran effectively closed by firing on tankers.
- Trump told reporters Friday there are 'two ways' to resolve the conflict — continued military escalation or negotiation — and separately said he is 'not in a hurry' to wrap things up despite midterm election pressure over high gas and food prices.
- Netanyahu is scheduled to visit Trump in Washington next week, though Israel, which launched the war alongside the U.S. on Feb. 28, has been notably absent from the renewed American attacks on Iran's coastal defences.
- Houthi rebels fired missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia on Saturday and claimed to have closed the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a chokepoint that has grown more vital for Saudi oil exports since the Strait of Hormuz disruption.
- The U.S. Navy disabled a Mozambique-flagged ship in the Gulf of Oman on Friday after the vessel tried to violate the American naval blockade of Iranian ports.
Why it matters: With roughly 20% of global oil transiting the Strait of Hormuz — a corridor Iran has choked for nearly five months — even a tentative diplomatic opening immediately affects oil markets and shipping costs; the Houthis' parallel closure threat on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait doubles the disruption risk and puts additional pressure on Saudi export routes and world energy supplies.
