Iran says it will halt retaliatory strikes if US bombing pause holds

Iran has halted its retaliatory strikes in the Gulf after the United States paused its bombing campaign, a move that President Donald Trump's advisers reportedly recommended after warning that the military was running out of targets and expressing concern over depleting US weapons stockpiles.

After 13 consecutive nights of intensifying US airstrikes on Iran, the Pentagon suspended its campaign late on Friday, with no US attacks reported over the weekend. 

Iran, which had responded to each night of US attacks with strikes on neighboring countries hosting US military bases, has also refrained from launching attacks for two consecutive days.

An Iranian official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters that Tehran'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 Iranian official cautioned, however, that "Tehran did not hold much hope that Trump's decision to pause strikes represented a major shift in the US negotiating position."

"There is more scepticism than optimism about the halt in attacks. The prevailing view is that the pause is tactical rather than genuine. Iran has accumulated enough ​bitter experience with what it sees as ​US deception," said the Iranian official.

A US official familiar with the matter told Reuters that military officials have recently warned that the bombing campaign over the past two weeks – meant to deter Iranian threats to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway that has become a key flashpoint in the conflict – has largely exhausted the pre-selected target list.

Resuming large-scale combat operations remains an option, but General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has privately cautioned Trump that doing so would carry risks because of the strain on US munitions stockpiles, the official said. That includes interceptor missiles used by US air defense systems in the Middle East.

Besides, the US representative to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, told Fox News Sunday and other US media that Trump had decided to pause US attacks to allow more time for diplomacy.

"He's ​giving talks some space, he's giving it a little bit of room," Waltz said, adding that negotiators have been engaged at every level over the past few weeks, particularly in recent days.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said in an interview with Austrian broadcaster ORF that the US is exchanging messages with Iran through mediators, including Pakistan and Qatar. However, he added that Iran's past efforts at diplomacy have been "betrayed."

Accusing Washington of violating "all its provisions" in practice under the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Iran and the US, Baghaei said Iran's current priority "is to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity and protect its people against the war crimes that are being perpetrated by the United States."

Despite the apparent pause in the cycle of tit-for-tat strikes, prospects for easing tensions remain uncertain as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to meet Trump on Tuesday during his latest visit to Washington.

Speaking to Fox News on Sunday, Netanyahu said the conflict with Iran will end when the Iranian government is "either toppled or it is sufficiently weakened that it knows it has to end its nuclear program."

He added that "with a deal or without a deal," Iran's nuclear program must come to an end.

Qin Tian, deputy director of the Institute of Middle East Studies of China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said the primary objective of Netanyahu's latest visit to Washington was to coordinate with the US on the next phase of strategy and decision-making regarding the conflict with Iran, while further encouraging Washington to commit to escalating military operations against Tehran.

Iran, meanwhile, says it is prepared for any possible escalation.

Responding to the potential impact of Netanyahu's visit on the regional situation, Abolfazl Shekarchi, spokesman for Iran's armed forces, said on Sunday that Iran could face scenarios ranging from renewed airstrikes to a ground military operation. He added that the country had made comprehensive preparations for all possible contingencies.

(With input from agencies)