A high-ranking Iranian official informed Reuters that Iran will stop its attacks as long as the United States keeps its recent pause on air strikes, following President Donald Trump’s decision to end a two-week bombing campaign.
After 13 consecutive nights of escalating US air strikes against Iran, the Pentagon unexpectedly halted the operation late on Friday, with no US attacks reported on Saturday or Sunday.
Iran, which had responded to each night of US strikes with its own assaults on neighboring countries hosting US bases, has now refrained from any action for two days.
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US ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz told Fox News on Sunday that Mr. Trump chose to pause US attacks in order to create more space for diplomatic efforts.
“He’s giving talks some space, he’s giving it a little bit of room,” Mr. Waltz said, without providing additional details.
The senior Iranian source, speaking anonymously, told Reuters: “Iran’s position remains ‘attack for attack’: if the attacks stop, Iran will also halt its operations. That message has already been conveyed to the United States.”
The source added: “However, Iran is prepared to mount a broad response should the US launch another attack.”
When asked about the pause, a senior official in Mr. Trump’s administration stated on Saturday that the president “has always been clear that his preference is diplomacy but he has shown Iran what will happen if they fail to come to the table in a serious way.”
US forces had been conducting nightly strikes against Iran in what they described as retaliation for Iranian actions against shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran claims it intends to maintain control over this vital energy shipping route.
The two-week military campaign by the US effectively derailed last month’s interim agreement aimed at concluding a conflict initiated by both Israel and the United States back in February.
Reports from The New York Times and CNN indicated that Mr. Trump decided against further escalation after advisers expressed concerns on Friday about potential issues with US missile defense resources due to protecting bases in the region.>
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