US, Iran hold fire as Trump gives talks ‘space’

TEHRAN

Children wade in the water with cargo ships at anchor in the background and a fisherman nearby, in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, June 30, 2026. (Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA via AP File)

Iran and the United States maintained a pause in attacks on July 27, easing pressure on Gulf shipping and oil markets as Washington said President Donald Trump was allowing diplomatic efforts more time.

Iran said it had halted retaliatory operations against U.S. allies in the Middle East. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said American forces remained “locked and loaded,” but Trump was giving negotiations “a little bit of room.”

Before the pause, the U.S. military had struck Iran for 13 consecutive nights in the largest resumption of fighting since an April ceasefire.

No bombing was reported on Friday, Saturday or Sunday night.

The latest hostilities erupted after fighting over the Strait of Hormuz derailed negotiations between Washington and Tehran, drawing shipping routes, Gulf states and U.S. military bases into the conflict.

Iranian army spokesperson Mohammad Akraminia said Tehran had suspended its operations because its military strategy had been based on retaliation.

Oil prices fell sharply as the pause reduced immediate concerns over supply disruptions. Brent crude lost more than 7 percent at one point in early trading, briefly falling below $90 a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate was down around 4 percent at $85.45.

The lull renewed hopes for negotiations, although U.S. media reported that pressure on American stocks of Patriot interceptors and other defensive weapons may also have influenced the decision to pause the strikes.

The New York Times reported that plans to expand the U.S. campaign had been shelved partly because of shrinking munitions supplies. Trump and Waltz rejected suggestions that the military lacked the weapons needed to continue operations.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is due to meet Trump at the White House on July 28, with Iran’s nuclear program expected to be high on the agenda.

Netanyahu said he supported Trump’s diplomatic efforts but insisted Tehran’s nuclear program must end “with a deal or without a deal.” Iran maintains that its program is intended for civilian purposes, while the United States and Israel accuse it of seeking nuclear weapons.

Regional fighting continued despite the U.S.-Iran pause. Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels said on July 26 that they had downed a Saudi drone over northwestern Yemen, a day after claiming attacks on Saudi Aramco facilities in Jizan and Yanbu.

The attacks followed strikes by the Saudi-led coalition on Houthi positions in Yemen on July 24 in response to assaults on Red Sea shipping.