President Donald Trump directed the U.S. military not to conduct new strikes in Iran on Friday, breaking a nearly two-week streak of daily attacks. The decision comes as the U.S. military prepares plans for a possible return to major combat operations, though Trump has not given orders to move in that direction, according to two sources with knowledge of the decision.
The directive halted a nearly two-week campaign of punishing airstrikes that had gradually expanded in both scope and depth. For the previous 13 days, the president had approved daily strike plans. On Friday, however, Trump declined to greenlight a similar plan. Two sources with knowledge of the decision stated that the decision reflects both a willingness to provide more space for diplomacy and a recognition that the current level of U.S. strikes has reached the limit of its effectiveness, short of a return to major combat operations.
This pause follows a period of extreme volatility. On Thursday, the conflict pushed global benchmark oil prices to over $100 per barrel, their highest level since May. While prices fell below $92 a barrel by Friday, the tension remained high. Trump told the Axios news outlet, I am considering a massive attack. Bigger than ever before. I am close to making a decision.
The U.S. military later said it conducted its 13th consecutive night of strikes against Iran in attacks aimed at degrading Iran’s ability to threaten maritime traffic.
Anatomy of the Two-Week Aerial Campaign
The recent escalation was triggered by a battle for control over the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway between Iran and Oman, which shattered a brief ceasefire in June following the signing of an interim deal to end the conflict. The U.S. campaign evolved in stages, moving from coastal defenses to deeper infrastructure targets.
The U.S. started with intense waves of strikes on Iran’s navy and coastal defenses earlier this month to blunt Tehran’s ability to attack ships in the strait. In recent days, the U.S. expanded its targets to include bridges and infrastructure in the south, as well as strikes deeper into the center of Iran and the outskirts of its capital, Tehran. Three U.S. officials, granted anonymity to discuss military matters, stated that these strikes also target Iranian military capabilities the U.S. would want to destroy before executing more complex operations. These targets include Iranian air defense systems, coastal radar, missile and drone sites, as well as small boats and other maritime assets.
Despite this intensity, the renewed aerial campaign is not as fierce in either way as the one at the start of the war on February 28. In the first 100 hours of that initial conflict, the U.S. and Israel hit hundreds of military targets and killed top leaders of Iran, including Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The Iranian Health Ministry reports that 3,434 people have been killed since the war began, including 55 during the recent escalation. The latest U.S. strikes damaged water infrastructure used by thousands of people and temporarily disrupted communications and transportation within Iran.
Iranian Response and Regional Impact
Iran has not backed down. Iran’s army reported carrying out drone strikes against several U.S. military facilities and bases in Bahrain and Jordan in retaliation for the latest U.S. attacks. Additionally, Tehran retains significant drone and missile capability and has attacked passing tankers as well as its Gulf neighbors.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, quoted by state media, stated, Iran has shown that it will not bow to U.S. bullying and will under no circumstances respond to the language of force, pressure and threats.
Araghchi also noted that he had “detailed” talks with the foreign ministers of Russia and China.
The standoff continues as Iran asserts control over the Strait of Hormuz while the U.S. imposes a blockade on Iranian ports. The broader war is now in its fifth month, following the unraveling of a memorandum of understanding intended to stop the fighting and pave the way for a peace agreement. This follows a formal resumption of conflict with Iran, which President Trump notified Congress of last weekend.
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