Iran Signals It Will Pause Gulf Attacks as Long as the U.S. Holds Fire

A senior Iranian official said today (Sunday) in an interview with the Reuters news agency that Iran will pause attacks in the Gulf as long as the U.S. continues to maintain the ceasefire. According to him, while the fighting has indeed slowed in Tehran, the dominant feeling among the leadership is that this is only a temporary move. “There is more skepticism than optimism,” he said, adding that “the prevailing view is that the pause is tactical and not genuine.”

The report comes amid statements from senior American officials, led by U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz, who said in an interview with Fox News that President Donald Trump is allowing the diplomatic track with Iran to move forward: “President Trump is giving talks with Iran some room. He is giving the talks some space, he is giving this a bit of maneuvering room.” At the same time, a source familiar with the details told Saudi media that Iran had sent a message to Pakistan saying it had not withdrawn from the talks.

These developments come after The New York Times reported on the background to the shift in Trump’s approach, which led to a two-day pause after 13 consecutive nights of exchanged attacks. At the Pentagon, officials are making clear that for now the operation against Iran is “on hold.”

CBS reported today that American officials warned the U.S. cannot continue for long at the current pace of using interceptors and precision-guided munitions. The main concern centers on stocks of Patriot and THAAD interceptors, which have been used extensively to intercept ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and unmanned aircraft.

According to internal assessments by the U.S. Department of Defense, which were already published in April, more than 1,200 Patriot interceptors were used during the war, with the cost of each interceptor exceeding $4 million. Even then, inventory levels were described as troubling, and according to military officials they have deteriorated even further since. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General Dan Caine, said in closed-door discussions that the U.S. is capable of renewing large-scale fighting against Iran, but such a step could significantly reduce the number of interceptors available to U.S. Central Command.

According to a report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, more than 1,000 Tomahawk missiles and about 1,100 JASSM missiles have already been launched in the fighting, while replenishing those stockpiles is expected to take close to four years.

Meanwhile, two regional sources told CBS that talks taking place between Oman and Iran regarding the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and nearby shipping lanes are moving in a positive direction, but that more time is still needed to reach an agreement. According to those sources, Omani officials arrived in Tehran on Friday for talks, at the same time as Trump’s decision to halt the attacks. It was also reported that the bombings were intentionally stopped so as not to harm the sensitive face-to-face contacts taking place between the sides.