US pauses strikes on Iran for second night after military advisers urge halt

The United States has refrained from striking Iran for a second consecutive night after senior military officials advised President Donald Trump to halt his bombing campaign. Diplomatic negotiations are ongoing to avoid a return to full-scale war.

Trump is weighing diplomatic and military options in the nearly five-month-old conflict. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to visit the White House on Tuesday. He has been a vocal critic of Washington's talks with Iranian leaders and has pressed the US to continue strikes against Iran.

Netanyahu faces considerable political pressure to show results from his military campaigns against Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon ahead of elections scheduled for October.

Tehran said on Sunday it would pause what it called "retaliatory" attacks against US allies in the region. Army spokesperson Mohammad Akraminia said the US had stopped attacks over the past two nights, and Iran had also halted its retaliatory operations.

Senior Trump administration officials have informed the president about dwindling munitions stockpiles, including Patriot missile interceptors and Tomahawk cruise missiles. Admiral Bradley Cooper, the top US military commander in the region, told Trump that the campaign had reached the limits of its effectiveness, with nearly all planned targets exhausted. Without a return to major combat operations, there was little point in continuing the bombing, according to reports.

Trump's UN ambassador Mike Waltz said the president was keeping all options on the table but did not rule out additional strikes.

The lull, which began Friday evening, follows nearly two weeks of strikes and the collapse of a ceasefire brokered by Trump. Washington blames Iran for attacks on US forces and allies, as well as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a conduit for an estimated 20% of the world's oil and gas.

Senior diplomats from Iran and Oman were holding talks Sunday on reopening the vital waterway. Iran demands payment and control over which ships pass through. An Iranian foreign ministry official confirmed contacts with US negotiators to prevent a return to war. However, an Iranian army spokesperson displayed defiance, saying the US had no clear strategy and was "experiencing strategic decision-making fatigue."

US Vice President JD Vance and Joint Chiefs Chair Dan Caine warned Trump of the risks of a renewed campaign during an Oval Office meeting Friday. The president then ordered the military to call off new strikes, which he had warned could "knock out everything they have."

Trump told reporters he was talking to Iran and that they were becoming more serious. At a White House Correspondents' Association dinner, he said he did not think Iran was ready to make a deal but he was ready to listen.

Netanyahu's office announced he would convene a security cabinet meeting before leaving for Washington Monday. He played a crucial role in lobbying Trump to launch joint strikes in February and wants a strong line on Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile program. US negotiators, however, have prioritized opening the Strait of Hormuz.

Netanyahu travels to Washington amid some of the worst violence this year in the West Bank. After armed settlers entered a Palestinian village Thursday, killing four Palestinians and two Israelis, the Israeli military launched an "extensive" operation.

The US and the UK under new Prime Minister Andy Burnham are discussing plans for a high-level meeting in London to talk about forming a coalition to protect ships and de-mine the Strait of Hormuz. So far, the Labour government has not allowed Washington to use a British airbase for offensive operations against Iran.