The United States has suspended its bombing campaign against Iran for a second consecutive night, with Tehran responding by halting its own retaliatory strikes on US military bases and allies across the region. The mutual pause, which began on Friday evening, has opened a narrow diplomatic window after nearly two weeks of sustained US airstrikes — the most intense escalation since an April ceasefire broke down.
The lull follows 13 consecutive nights of US strikes on Iran, the latest chapter in a conflict that began in late February when the US and Israel launched joint military operations against Tehran. A fragile truce collapsed after Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz — the narrow waterway through which an estimated 20% of the world's oil and gas passes — sparking a fresh cycle of escalation that spread beyond Iran to include Houthi rebel attacks on Saudi vessels in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, another critical shipping corridor into the Red Sea. Iran's army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia confirmed the current pause, saying: "Since our strategy has essentially been retaliatory, we have also halted our retaliatory operations."
US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz framed the halt as a deliberate strategic choice, saying President Donald Trump was giving diplomacy "a little bit of room." Behind the scenes, however, senior officials including Vice President JD Vance and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Dan Caine reportedly warned Trump at an Oval Office meeting on Friday of dwindling stockpiles of Patriot air defence missiles and Tomahawk cruise missiles, while the top US commander in the region, Admiral Bradley Cooper, advised that the bombing campaign had reached the limits of its effectiveness and that target lists were nearly exhausted. Trump has publicly dismissed reports of ammunition shortages, insisting US stockpiles are more than sufficient.
Diplomacy has intensified on multiple fronts. Pakistan, which maintained communication with Tehran, Washington, Riyadh and Beijing throughout the bombing campaign, is among the key mediators working to restart formal negotiations. Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held separate calls with Qatar's Prime Minister and Pakistan's army chief to discuss pathways toward a settlement. Meanwhile, Iranian and Omani officials held discussions on "common principles and operational mechanisms" for managing safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, and Iran's foreign ministry confirmed its negotiators were in contact with US counterparts. Iran has demanded payment and control over which ships transit the strait — a position Washington has not publicly accepted.
The diplomatic picture is further complicated by Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who stated that any agreement with the United States is contingent on Israel ending its attacks on Lebanon — a condition enshrined in an earlier memorandum of understanding that has since collapsed. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a vocal opponent of Washington's negotiations with Iran, is expected at the White House on Tuesday under significant domestic pressure ahead of scheduled October elections. The US and UK, under new Prime Minister Andy Burnham, are also discussing plans to protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and de-mine the waterway. Markets responded positively to the pause: Brent crude, which had surged above $100 a barrel last week, shed more than seven percent on Monday, briefly falling back below $90 — a sign of how closely energy markets are tracking the prospects for a lasting ceasefire.