WASHINGTON — Iran has agreed to suspend its retaliatory military operations against neighboring countries hosting US bases as long as Washington maintains its current pause on airstrikes. Following 13 consecutive nights of escalating US bombardments, President Donald Trump abruptly halted the air campaign late Friday night, rejecting the Pentagon’s subsequent nightly strike blueprints. In response, a senior Iranian official confirmed to Reuters that Tehran has communicated a conditional “attack for attack” stance to the United States. US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz stated that Trump’s sudden reversal was designed to “give talks some space,” although Iranian leadership remains highly skeptical, viewing the pause as a tactical maneuver rather than a genuine shift toward diplomacy.
The sudden operational freeze comes amid shifting dynamics in a conflict that initially erupted in February 2025. According to reports from The New York Times and CNN, Trump backed away from an even larger military escalation after high-level advisers—including Vice President JD Vance and Pentagon Chief of Staff Dan Caine—raised critical concerns regarding rapidly depleting US missile defense stockpiles. Protecting regional assets from Iranian counter-ballistic strikes has heavily strained Patriot interceptor reserves. The two-week escalation has already shattered prior interim agreements over the Strait of Hormuz, while Iran’s Houthi allies in Yemen have expanded the battlefield by launching fresh missile strikes against Saudi oil facilities in the Red Sea, driving Brent crude oil prices above $100 a barrel for the first time in over a year.
