Iran says halts Middle East attacks as US holds fire / Photo: Khaled ZIAD - AFP
Iran says halts Middle East attacks as US holds fire
Iran said on Sunday it has halted retaliatory attacks against US allies in the Middle East after Washington stopped its strikes on the country for the past two nights.
The Iranian declaration came after Washington paused a war nearing its fifth month and reports emerged that concerns over dwindling munitions were restraining plans for further escalation.
"These attacks continued until two nights ago, but over the past two nights the Americans have stopped their attacks," said army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia.
"Since... our strategy has essentially been retaliatory, we have also halted our retaliatory operations."
Fighting over the strategic Strait of Hormuz derailed diplomatic efforts between Washington and Tehran, but the conflict then expanded beyond the vital energy corridor to include attacks on US bases, regional shipping and Gulf allies.
But the recent lull has revived hopes of a return to negotiations after nearly two weeks of consecutive nightly US bombardments, although US media reported the pause could also reflect pressure on stockpiles of Patriot interceptors and other defensive weapons.
Meanwhile, US operations against Iran were "on a hold", CNN reported, quoting an unidentified Pentagon source, even as US President Donald Trump threatened a "much higher level" of strikes on Friday.
Plans to escalate the campaign have been shelved in part because of those shrinking supplies, The New York Times reported, citing two people briefed on the matter.
Trump also faces the risk of a wider Middle East war, the estrangement of vulnerable Gulf allies and further shocks to the global economy, the newspaper said.
Vice President JD Vance and top US general Dan Caine both raised concerns about escalation at a White House meeting on Friday, CNN reported.
Caine told Trump the military could carry out the options available to him successfully but warned of the possible implications, according to the network.
Iran's army however warned on Sunday that the war would widen even further if the US chose to restart its attacks, ahead of a visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Washington on Tuesday.
- 'Much higher level' -
Trump said on Friday he had not decided whether to return to an all-out operation.
"We're talking to them right now. I think they're getting more and more serious," he told journalists.
Trump said Iran faced a choice between a deal and strikes at a "much higher level".
The war that Trump once predicted would last four or five weeks is now nearing its fifth month, and is weighing on the Republican's approval ratings ahead of crucial US midterm elections in November.
The Pentagon had presented Trump with a plan for a 14th night of strikes but he declined to authorise it in favour of a push for talks, Axios reported.
On Sunday locals in Iranian capital Tehran carried on with a normal morning, dealing with heavy traffic jams on their way to work, an AFP journalist said.
Shops and restaurants were open as usual as the city suffered a heatwave.
- New front -
Fighting has meanwhile spread to a new front.
Iran-backed Houthi rebels on Sunday said they downed a Saudi drone over the northwest of Yemen, a day after the Yemeni group claimed it attacked oil facilities in the Gulf kingdom.
A day earlier, the Houthis had said they struck Saudi Aramco sites in Jizan and Yanbu, after Riyadh bombed Houthi targets on Friday.
A surface-to-air battery operated by Greek personnel in Saudi Arabia downed two ballistic missiles and a drone over Yanbu, the Greek air force media office said.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran could not be blamed for the escalation and offered to broker talks between the Houthis and Riyadh, saying "there is no military solution".
On Sunday, Iran's armed forces stopped six vessels attempting to transit the Hormuz strait over the past 24 hours after warnings, according to state television.
Tehran's effective blockade of the waterway remains the central flashpoint with Washington.
Iran said on Sunday it had made progress in talks with neighbouring Oman on "common principles and operational mechanisms" for shipping in the Strait.
In June, Oman and Iran said they would discuss imposing service fees, a move Washington opposes, but Muscat also said ships could transit Hormuz via its waters, angering Tehran.
H.Lechner--NWT
