The United States and Iran suspended their attacks for a second consecutive day on Sunday, while efforts to return to negotiations for a temporary ceasefire agreement continued, complicated by recent mutual strikes.
U.S. President Donald Trump “is giving the negotiations space. He is giving them a little room,” said Mike Waltz, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, in an interview with Fox News. He added that “both Oman and Iran, as well as a number of our other negotiators, have been engaged at all levels — from the highest to the technical — over the past few weeks, and especially in the last few days.” The Pentagon did not respond to requests for comment.
As the United States halted attacks over the past two nights, Iran also refrained from strikes, a spokesman for the Iranian army told state television on Sunday. Tehran has counterattacked countries in the region hosting U.S. military forces in recent days, resulting in the deaths of at least three servicemen at a base in Jordan and one in Iraq.
Maritime Shipping and Energy Supply
Concerns persist about shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, and now in another critical waterway in the region — the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which leads to the Red Sea. Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen threatened to blockade Saudi shipping last week. Global energy supplies and the world economy remain at risk as fuel prices have risen again.
The movement of commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz reached a three-week low, a maritime agency under the control of the U.S. Navy reported on Sunday, noting that no new attacks had been confirmed in the past 72 hours. According to its data, traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait remained stable.
Iran stated on Sunday that it continues negotiations with Oman to ensure the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, which runs between the two countries. Spokesman for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Esmaeil Baghaei said the negotiations had made progress and were ongoing. Baghaei also emphasized that the status of the strait remains unchanged. Tehran claims that a temporary agreement with the United States allows it to control shipping in the waterway and opposes U.S. efforts to support a route through the strait that runs closer to the coast of Oman. Before the war, the strait was regarded as an international waterway.
U.S. military officials reported on Saturday that their recently reinstated naval blockade against Iran is ongoing, resulting in a dozen commercial vessels being redirected, two being disabled, and U.S. forces boarding another two. U.S. forces “remain very vigilant, focused, and at full combat readiness,” they added.
Netanyahu Supports Trump’s Efforts
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to travel to the United States and meet with Trump in Washington on Tuesday, his office reported. They last met in Washington in February, just weeks before the start of the war against Iran, which resulted in the deaths of high-ranking leaders, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The Iran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah attacked Israel two days after the war began, prompting Israel to respond with airstrikes and a ground operation in southern Lebanon. Since then, the United States has supported direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel to reduce tensions in the area and find a way to disarm Hezbollah.
Netanyahu told Fox News on Sunday that he “fully” supports Trump’s efforts to weaken Iran and pressure it to halt its nuclear program, adding: “If he can do this without returning to intense military action, that’s great. Why not?”
The prime minister noted that he would not provide new information to “our good friend” Trump, but would instead listen to “what he has in mind, because I think much of it is his decision.” However, Netanyahu warned that if Iran attacks Israel again — directly or through its proxy forces — it “would be a terrible mistake.”
Source: NTD
