US-Iran pause attacks again as Hormuz talks advance
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- United States and Iran halted attacks for a second straight day on Sunday, with the pause coming after nearly two weeks of escalation triggered by Iran's firing at ships trying to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
- Mike Waltz, the US ambassador to the UN, told Fox News that Trump is "giving talks some space" and "a little bit of room," while rejecting claims that US interceptor stockpiles were running low despite expert questions over how long both sides can sustain the fighting.
- The 60-day interim deal signed in mid-June is now well into its second half, but the key issues meant to be negotiated — especially Iran's nuclear programme — have been set aside as mediators try to keep both sides engaged, a regional official told the source.
- The compromise under discussion centers on Iran managing vessel transit through the Strait of Hormuz with fewer restrictions on ships, according to a regional official involved in mediation who spoke on condition of anonymity.
- The US naval blockade against Iran is still actively running — the US military said 12 commercial ships were redirected, two disabled, and two boarded — even as Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said talks with Oman on safe passage through the strait had made progress.
- Benjamin Netanyahu is due to travel to Washington and meet Trump on Tuesday; he told Fox News he "fully" backs Trump's efforts to push Iran to end its nuclear programme and warned that any new Iranian attack on Israel "will make a terrible mistake."
- Commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz fell to a three-week low on Sunday, though traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb remained steady; petrol prices rose again as global energy supplies stayed under pressure.
Why it matters: The two-day attack pause gives the 60-day interim deal room in its final stretch, but with the US naval blockade still interdicting ships and Hormuz traffic at a three-week low, neither side is really de-escalating — they're holding fire while shipping and nuclear disputes stay unresolved. Netanyahu's Tuesday Trump meeting could harden or soften that posture before mediators lose their window.
