Trump Gives Diplomacy a Chance... Tehran Halts Its Attacks
- The Pentagon continues to prepare plans for a potential return to large-scale combat operations
- Iran informs Pakistan that it has not withdrawn from negotiations... but merely suspended them
- “Notable progress” in Oman’s “Hormuz” talks
- Iranian,
A cautious calm settled over the US-Iran confrontation fronts for the second consecutive day, as the administration of President Donald Trump continued to send mixed signals, combining a willingness to give diplomacy another chance with maintaining the option of military escalation.
This fragile field de-escalation came without an official ceasefire announcement or an agreement guaranteeing sustained calm, after the US president currently postponed plans to expand the military campaign and ordered the military to halt air strikes on Friday, paving the way for diplomacy and Omani mediation to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, warning Tehran to choose between “an agreement or facing a much more intense level.”
While the United States and Iran exchanged responses to a proposal advanced by Pakistan and Qatar aimed at resuming talks, according to Al Arabiya Al Hadath, White House Communications Director Stephen Chung stated that the President “has always been firm” in his preference for a diplomatic solution, but he still retains all options if Iran continues its activities in Hormuz or its attacks against allies.
Speaking to Fox News, he added that US sanctions and 13 consecutive days of strikes against military targets make it “wise” for Tehran to work toward reaching a negotiated agreement, warning that it “knows what will happen” if it refuses.
The Axios website revealed that the US president received a new plan on Friday to carry out strikes inside Iran, similar to the plans he approved daily during the previous 13 nights, but he did not give the “green light” this time, ordering the military not to launch new attacks.
According to The New York Times, the options discussed included expanding strikes on coastal radars, anti-ship missile platforms, and other targets related to Iran’s capabilities in the vicinity of the Strait of Hormuz.
The decision reflects Trump’s desire to give diplomatic efforts additional space, alongside an assessment within the administration that the strikes carried out at the level implemented over the past two weeks may have reached the limits of their impact, unless Washington moves toward a broader combat campaign.
Despite the halt in air raids, US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed that the naval blockade imposed on Iran remains fully in effect, and that its forces diverted the course of 12 commercial ships that attempted to breach the blockade, disabled two ships that did not comply with instructions, and boarded two others to verify their compliance.
In response, the semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported that a sea mine exploded on an oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz after it left the designated navigation route on the Iranian side of the strategic passage.
For his part, Iranian Army spokesperson Mohammad Akbari Nia, in statements published by Al Arabiya, Asharq Al-Awsat, and AFP, said that “the Americans halted their attacks during the past two nights,” adding, “Since our strategy is fundamentally based on reciprocity, we have also halted our retaliatory operations.”
A senior Iranian source told Reuters that “there is more skepticism than optimism regarding the halt of attacks. The prevailing view is that this halt is tactical, not genuine.”
The cessation of strikes coincided with two days of Iranian-Omani talks in Tehran regarding the Strait of Hormuz, which made “notable progress,” according to three officials speaking to CBS News.
Ismail Baqaei, spokesperson for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that the two sides held several rounds of talks at the level of deputy foreign ministers, discussing common principles and operational mechanisms for the safe passage of ships, while respecting what he described as the sovereign rights of the two coastal states.
He added that the talks were “productive” and made progress, but the navigation situation has not changed so far.
In the context of diplomatic initiatives led by regional actors aimed at reviving the negotiation process, a source told Al Arabiya/Al Hadath that Iran informed Pakistani officials that it had not withdrawn from the negotiations but had suspended them, reaffirming its readiness to continue dialogue in accordance with the memorandum of understanding.
The source added that Tehran stressed the need to resume negotiations from the stage at which they had stalled, noting that Iran reaffirmed its willingness to continue talks in Geneva, Doha, or Islamabad.
Iran also informed the Pakistani side of its rejection of establishing a new passage in the Strait of Hormuz, reiterating its position on navigation arrangements in this vital maritime corridor.
