Iran to halt strikes if US bombing stops

DUBAI/WASHINGTON – Iran will suspend its attacks as long as the United States refrains from carrying out further airstrikes, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Sunday, signaling a temporary easing in the two-week conflict.

The development comes after the Pentagon paused its bombing campaign late Friday following 13 consecutive nights of airstrikes. No U.S. attacks were reported on Saturday or Sunday. Iran, which had responded nightly by targeting neighboring countries hosting U.S. military bases, has also held back its attacks for two days.

The Iranian official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Tehran's policy remains based on reciprocity.

"Our 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 official said.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said President Donald Trump ordered the pause to give diplomacy another opportunity.

"He's giving talks some space, he's giving it a little bit of room," Waltz said during interviews on U.S. television on Sunday.

According to a U.S. official familiar with the matter, military leaders advised the administration that the recent bombing campaign had largely exhausted its pre-selected military targets. They also warned that continuing large-scale operations could further reduce U.S. stockpiles of critical munitions, including air defense interceptors deployed in the Middle East.

General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, reportedly cautioned Trump that resuming major combat operations would carry additional risks because of the growing strain on U.S. military resources.

Caine's office and U.S. Central Command declined to comment, citing the longstanding policy of not discussing private military advice provided to a sitting president.

Speaking on NBC's Meet the Press, Waltz maintained that the U.S. military has sufficient resources but said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth inherited depleted military stockpiles when he took office.

Despite the temporary halt, Iranian officials remain doubtful that the U.S. pause signals a lasting change in Washington's approach.

"There is more skepticism than optimism about the halt in attacks," the senior Iranian source said. "The prevailing view is that the pause is tactical rather than genuine. Iran has accumulated enough bitter experience with what it sees as U.S. deception."

For the past two weeks, U.S. forces have carried out nightly strikes against Iranian targets, saying the operations were in response to Iranian attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran, in turn, launched strikes against water desalination facilities in neighboring Gulf Arab states.

Iran has repeatedly stated that it intends to maintain control over the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway through which roughly one-fifth of the world's oil supply passed before the conflict intensified.

The latest fighting also derailed an interim agreement reached last month that had sought to end the conflict through negotiations.

Several U.S. media outlets reported that Trump's decision followed a high-level meeting on Friday, during which senior military and political advisers raised concerns about the effectiveness and sustainability of the bombing campaign. Reports said Vice President JD Vance questioned continuing the strikes, while Admiral Brad Cooper, the top U.S. commander in the Middle East, reportedly recommended suspending the campaign after it reached the limits of its military effectiveness.

Meanwhile, many Iranians remain uncertain about what comes next.

Nader, a 49-year-old import-export business owner in Tehran, said he doubts the pause will lead to a lasting peace.

"Everyone in the country is stuck in limbo," he told Reuters by telephone. "Trump is playing games with Iran. He neither ends the war and leaves the region nor strikes decisively. It's exhausting." -Writing by Raphael Satter and Peter Graff; Editing by Alexander Smith, Ros Russell and Sergio Non and Deepa Babington/Reuters