After nearly two weeks of U.S. airstrikes, the war in Iran has entered a new phase as both sides paused attacks over the weekend, and diplomatic efforts gained momentum.
It’s not clear why the U.S. temporarily halted strikes, but the lull comes as Oman says talks with Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz are making progress.
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Hundreds of vessels remain backed up in the critical shipping lane, but oil prices have dropped significantly since the countries halted attacks.
On Friday, oil was sitting around $90 a barrel. That number has now dropped to around $82 as of early Monday.
Diplomatic talks
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz told NBC News the president is giving diplomatic talks “some space” as discussions continue.
“What the president is doing right now, as we’ve seen all along, is giving some talks some space,” Waltz said. “Talks are ongoing. They’re happening at every level from the more technical aspect of it all the way to the highest levels, of course, within both the Iranian government and the U.S. government.”
Iran’s foreign ministry is pushing back, however, saying Tehran is not seeking talks with the United States. Rather, it is just discussing the Strait of Hormuz with Oman.
“The negotiations that we have, and which may genuinely be subject to different interpretations, are the negotiations we have with Oman,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said. “They are focused on creating the necessary arrangements regarding the Strait of Hormuz.”
Conflict in the Middle East continues
Meanwhile, Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis attacked Saudi oil facilities along the Red Sea over the weekend.
And Iran is threatening retaliation after accusing Ukraine of targeting one of its ships in the Caspian Sea. Iranian officials say at least one person was killed.
“Zelenskyy has attacked an Iranian commercial vessel, killing a sailor,” Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on X. “A blatant UN Charter violation done at Israel’s behest to drag Europe into its war.”
Ukraine says it targeted “cargo vessels under international sanctions” used to transport military cargo between Iran and Russia.
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