President Donald Trump directed the U.S. military not to conduct new air strikes against Iran on Friday, breaking a nearly two-week streak of daily attacks, according to sources cited by Axios. The decision marked the first night in two weeks that the U.S. held back from launching strikes, following 13 nights of escalating military actions in response to Iranian attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz after an interim deal collapsed, as reported by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
President Trump Directs U.S. Military to Halt Strikes on Iran
Health Ministry spokesperson Hossein Kermanpour wrote on X that it seemed our dear Iran had a peaceful night last night,
according to RTHK. No immediate explanation was provided by Washington for halting the daily strike plans submitted by the military, which President Trump had approved every afternoon for the previous two weeks.
Diplomatic Talks Open in Tehran as Omani Delegation Arrives
The pause in U.S. air strikes coincided with the arrival of an Omani delegation in Tehran on Friday for diplomatic talks regarding a new arrangement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, according to Axios. Two regional sources indicated that progress had been made and that an agreement between Oman and Iran could potentially be reached over the weekend, leaving President Trump to decide whether to accept the proposed deal.
President Trump stated that the U.S. and Iran are talking and suggested that the Iranians are becoming more serious, though he noted at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner that he did not believe Iran was quite ready to make a deal yet, while adding that he remains willing to listen. Meanwhile, Israeli security cabinet members and the Israel Defense Force had prepared for a massive U.S. bombing offensive on Friday before being notified that the president had withheld approval for further strikes.
Regional Energy Stakes and Escalation in the Red Sea
Even with the lull in the Persian Gulf, fighting intensified between Iran-aligned Houthi militants and Saudi Arabia, threatening critical energy routes and raising questions about President Trump’s strategy, as noted by the South China Morning Post. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree stated that the group fired missiles and drones at facilities belonging to Saudi state oil giant Saudi Aramco in the Red Sea port towns of Jizan and Yanbu. Greek security sources reported that two ballistic missiles aimed at oil installations in Yanbu were intercepted by a U.S.-made Patriot battery operated by the Greek military.
Global oil markets have felt the impact of the hostilities, with Brent crude surging around 27 percent over a two-week period and spiking above $100 a barrel for the first time since May, according to reports by Livemint. The ongoing blockade of the Strait of Hormuz—which normally handles a fifth of global crude supplies—combined with threats to Saudi Arabia’s alternative Red Sea export routes from Yanbu and Jizan, continues to severely squeeze regional energy flows.
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