Why has the US halted its bombing of Iran?

The United States paused strikes connected Iran connected Friday aft astir 2 weeks of bombardments, including successful the Strait of Hormuz, since the Islamabad-brokered ceasefire unravelled.

Washington has not carried retired attacks targeting Iran, preventing Tehran’s retaliatory attacks connected US subject assets and infrastructure successful countries successful the region.

Although US President Donald Trump has denied it, media reports determination said Washington whitethorn beryllium moving debased connected aerial defence interceptors, portion unit is mounting connected some sides to springiness diplomacy different accidental amid heightened stakes.

Here’s what we cognize astir wherefore the US has halted its attacks and what is happening successful diplomatic channels.

Iranians locomotion past a billboard depicting Trump successful a coffin alongside the slogan ‘We Kill Trump’ successful Tehran, Iran [File: Abedin Taherkenareh/EPA]

What is the concern now?

Despite the abrupt lull in the exchange of strikes, the Strait of Hormuz – the captious waterway that has emerged arsenic 1 of the biggest flashpoints successful this warfare – remains closed.

Iran’s authorities broadcaster IRIB reported that six ships had attempted to walk done an “illegal and unsafe” way successful the southbound of the Strait of Hormuz successful the aboriginal hours of Monday aft turning disconnected their navigation and positioning systems.

One vas suffered an unspecified accident, IRIB said, portion the others returned to the Gulf nether “decisive Iranian management”. It quoted an authoritative who blamed the US subject for “provoking” the ships to sail connected the unauthorised route.

However, retaliatory attacks by Iran connected US subject assets and infrastructure successful Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan person ceased. “Our strategy has fundamentally been retaliatory. We person besides halted our retaliatory operations,” said Iranian service spokesperson Mohammad Akraminia.

Global lipid prices dropped by astir 4 percent aft the US and Iran halted exchanging missiles, signalling a imaginable displacement towards diplomacy.

On Saturday, the US subject said its naval blockade of Iranian ports, including those successful the Strait of Hormuz, “remains successful afloat effect”, but did not specify wherefore Washington had halted attacks connected Iran aft 13 nights of escalating strikes.

A statue of Iranian soldiers successful the Strait of Hormuz adjacent Bandar Abbas, Iran, May 22, 2026 [Majid Asgaripour/WANA via Reuters]

What tensions remain?

The biggest flashpoint and the contented which straight caused the resumption of strikes 2 weeks agone is the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran efficaciously closed to planetary shipping soon aft the US and Israel began attacks connected Tehran connected February 28.

Iran has been discussing proposals with Oman, whose territorial waters besides widen into the strait, to reopen the Strait of Hormuz nether a shared absorption protocol. However, it is not wide if that would beryllium acceptable to Trump, oregon the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.

Following the signing of a memorandum of knowing (MoU) betwixt the US and Iran connected June 17, the strait was expected to beryllium unfastened and escaped to shipping postulation for a minimum of 60 days portion bid talks were nether way. However, the 2 sides disagreed connected who had eventual power implicit shipping routes and which way ships should take. That resulted successful Iranian attacks connected ships taking the “wrong” routes and, ultimately, Trump’s resumption of strikes connected Iran.

Tensions implicit shipping successful Hormuz person present besides spilled implicit into different captious waterways.

Shipping postulation done the Bab al-Mandeb strait astatine the entranceway to the Red Sea connected the different broadside of Saudi Arabia has besides slowed pursuing Houthi attacks connected ships on Yemen’s Red Sea seashore and the group’s announcement of a naval blockade against the largest GCC member, according to shipping information from analytics level Kpler.

Meanwhile, a Ukrainian onslaught connected an Iranian vessel successful the Caspian Sea pushed tensions further, sidesplitting astatine slightest 1 Iranian sailor. Tehran summoned Ukraine’s diplomats and accused Kyiv of carrying retired a “hostile and criminal” act.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said long-range missiles had targeted vessels carrying subject cargo linked to Iran, arsenic helium accused Russia of aiding Iran’s subject run against the US.

Another large flashpoint is Lebanon, wherever Israel has occupied astir one-fifth of the state since aboriginal March. Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has insisted that bid betwixt Tehran and Washington volition lone beryllium imaginable if Israel ceases its attacks connected Lebanon, wherever it claims to beryllium targeting strongholds of the Iran-backed Lebanese group, Hezbollah.

Iran “has designated the preservation of Lebanon’s territorial integrity, and the absolute, unconditional termination of the Zionist regime’s aggression arsenic the superior information for immoderate statement to extremity the imposed warfare against the assertive US”, helium wrote successful a station connected X.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif meets Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, with US officials successful the background, earlier the commencement of a quadrilateral gathering betwixt the US, Iran, Pakistan and Qatar successful Switzerland, June 21, 2026 [Pool/Reuters]

Why has the US ceased strikes now?

US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz told broadcaster NBC News that a intermission successful strikes would assistance talks betwixt the 2 countries. “What the president is doing close now, arsenic we’ve seen each along, is giving immoderate talks immoderate space,” helium said. “Talks are ongoing.”

Iranian-American economist Nader Habibi told Al Jazeera that the planetary system had travel nether terrible unit erstwhile the US and Iran returned to warring 2 weeks ago, and crude prices jumped by much than 20 percent to supra $100 per barrel.

This is simply a main crushed wherefore the US has halted strikes, helium postulated.

“There was unit connected the Trump medication from each sides, some home and planetary partners, to find a solution,” Habibi told Al Jazeera. “All the caller US strikes did not nutrient capable unit to alteration Iran’s argumentation and unit Iran to judge its demand.”

He said different contented is that the outgo of Iran’s strikes connected Gulf countries “was precise high, and the US risked alienating its allies owed to the harm to their economies due to the fact that those strikes continued”.

Likewise, the US naval blockade and sanctions person enactment Tehran’s system nether terrible pressure, Habibi said, adding that the state “witnessed agelong lines for gasoline and diesel fuel, sometimes reaching up to a kilometre”. It is coupled with the infrastructure harm successful Iran from the US strikes, including bridges and railways.

Therefore, helium said, “both sides person an inducement due to the fact that of the terrible outgo and the inability of 1 broadside to unit the different broadside to springiness up”.

Ali Vaez, the International Crisis Group’s Iran task director, told Al Jazeera: “Two weeks of warring person reminded some Washington and Tehran that escalation raises the costs without resolving the conflict. The anticipation is that Iran and Oman tin scope a look for reopening the strait that each different stakeholders would find acceptable.”

“The spread tin beryllium bridged lone by returning to the MoU and resolving its ambiguities,” helium added.

Qatar, Egypt and Pakistan person been moving with different determination mediators to scope a caller ceasefire betwixt the US and Iran, and person astir precocious submitted a connection for a 10-day intermission successful the fighting.

Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei told the Austrian broadcaster ORF connected Sunday that mediators are exchanging messages betwixt Iran and the US, adding that contempt Iran’s past efforts astatine diplomacy, it had been “betrayed”.

Is the US moving debased connected weapons stockpiles?

US media person reported that Washington is moving debased connected stockpiles of Patriot antimissile interceptors and different aerial defence munitions stationed successful the Middle East.

News outlet Axios reported that the president of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, cautioned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Trump that a shortage of aerial defence interceptors could hamper the quality to support US forces and allies successful the region.

The US authorities past week confirmed that the warfare connected Iran had killed astatine slightest 18 of its unit and wounded 482. However, aboriginal the Pentagon reduced the fig of dormant to 14.

Trump has dismissed concerns astir munition stockpiles, telling The Wall Street Journal: “We person acold much munitions than anyone successful the world, and acold much than we need.”

After the US halted strikes connected Iran connected Friday, Trump told reporters: “There’s a subject exit wherever we conscionable support going conscionable the mode we are, and we tin adjacent marque it a heavier dose, and it’s knocking retired everything they have. Or there’s a smarter strategy: you marque a deal. And they privation to marque a deal.”

Despite his protestations, experts judge the dwindling authorities of weapons is different large crushed for halting strikes connected Iran now.