US pauses strikes on Iran as Gulf air war cools, but Hormuz remains shut
The United States has stopped bombing Iran after nearly two weeks of strikes, a pause that has eased an intense exchange of fire across the
The United States has stopped bombing Iran after nearly two weeks of strikes, a pause that has eased an intense exchange of fire across the Middle East but left the Strait of Hormuz closed and the wider crisis unresolved. For now, the fighting has gone quiet. That may not last.
Since Friday, Washington has not launched new attacks on Iran, and Tehran has also halted its retaliatory strikes on US military assets and infrastructure in regional countries. The abrupt lull follows bombardments that included strikes in the Strait of Hormuz after an Islamabad-brokered ceasefire unraveled.
Why Washington stopped
US President Donald Trump has denied reports that American forces are running short of air defence interceptors, but media accounts cited by Al Jazeera said Washington may be running low on those weapons. That pressure comes as both sides face mounting calls to give diplomacy another chance after the fighting pushed tensions even higher.
The halt does not appear to reflect a settled agreement. It looks more like a pause under strain. Washington has not said the bombing campaign is over, only that it has stopped for now.
And the cost of continuing was climbing fast.
Retaliation slows, sea lane stays closed
The end of the tit-for-tat strikes has not reopened the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most sensitive shipping routes and a key flashpoint in the conflict. Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB said six ships tried to move through what it called an “illegal and unsafe” route in the south of the strait in the early hours of Monday after switching off navigation and positioning systems.
IRIB said one of the vessels suffered an unspecified accident. The others turned back.
That detail matters well beyond Iran and the Gulf. The strait is a choke point for global energy and trade flows, and even a short disruption ripples far from the region. Shippers, insurers and governments watch it closely.
Diplomacy under pressure
The timing of the pause has fed speculation that both capitals are testing a way out. With strikes halted, diplomats now have a narrow opening to try to prevent the exchange from restarting. The source material does not say talks have produced any breakthrough. It does say pressure is mounting for diplomacy to move before the next round of attacks.
That makes the current lull fragile. Very fragile.
US strikes stopped on Friday after nearly two weeks of bombardment. Since then, Tehran’s attacks on US targets in the region have also stopped, leaving the Strait of Hormuz closed and six ships trying to navigate it through an “unsafe” route on Monday morning, according to IRIB.
