Trump hits pause on Iran war but no one knows for how long 

President Donald Trump paused U.S. strikes on Iran Monday as the U.S. is seemingly running out of targets, according to U.S. officials.

One administration source, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said bombings over the last two weeks have narrowed the number of options available for strikes to open the Strait of Hormuz, Reuters reported.

But other officials, at least publicly, are saying the pause was implemented to give peace talks a chance to progress.

“He’s giving talks some space, he’s giving it a little bit of room,” U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz told Fox News.

So far, however, nobody knows how long the pause may last.

“Not much time,” Trump told Axios Monday when ⁠asked about the pause. “Either it goes ‌fast ⁠or not at all.”

Waltz denied rumors that the U.S. is running out of munitions because Congress has underfunded missile and interceptor purchases.

The U.N. ambassador said it should surprise no one that The New York Times, where the rumor was first reported, is “off base.”

“As the president said, we are locked and loaded. Even more assets are going into theater,” Waltz said.

The decision to halt U.S. airstrikes against Iran has Tehran signaling it will suspend retaliatory attacks as long as the U.S. refrains from further bombing, Axios reported.

Tehran “remains ‘attack for attack,’” one anonymous Iranian official told Reuters.

Regional mediators, including Qatar, Pakistan and Oman, are attempting to use the break in hostilities to revive negotiations.

Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are traveling to Qatar to meet with mediators, but it remains unclear whether they will speak directly with Iranian officials, Axios reported.

Instead, U.S. technical teams will meet directly with mediators from other countries, while Iranian technical teams will also meet with the mediators.

“Mediators may convey messages to us from the American side regarding ongoing developments in the region. But at present, we have no negotiations with the American side,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told The Associated Press.

Oil prices fell following news of the pause in fighting.

West Texas Intermediate crude traded near $84 per barrel, down almost 6% from Friday’s close.

Some of that decline may already have been priced in as China has reduced imports of Iranian oil.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said U.S. sanctions on Chinese refineries that continue purchasing Iranian oil are partly responsible for the decrease.

“We have sanctioned Chinese … so-called teapot refineries, which are the private refineries, and we’ve seen a substantial decrease in their purchases of Iranian oil,” Bessent said in an interview with Fox Business Network.

Just days ago, Politico reported oil prices remained the biggest threat to Republicans in the upcoming midterm elections. That, as much as anything, might explain Trump’s decision to pause the war.

“The danger for Republicans is we’re now just a little over three months away from Election Day, and even if the conflict is resolved relatively soon, many consumers are not going to see those benefits before they cast ballots in the November 2026 elections,” Mark Jones, a political science fellow at Rice University, told Politico.

Previously, Vice President JD Vance described the temporary ceasefire signed in June as a chance to replenish oil supplies while allowing the administration to evaluate Iran’s intentions before deciding whether further military action would be necessary.

The pause comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with Trump Tuesday while in the U.S. to attend the funeral of longtime Sen. Lindsey Graham, who died unexpectedly earlier this month.

Israel is expected to push for an expansion of hostilities.

The Times of Israel reported a variety of options are on the table, including expanding airstrikes on infrastructure such as bridges and power plants, using ground troops to seize nuclear material or targeting oil facilities.

“We’re talking to them right now,” Trump said of the talks with Iran before the latest pause. “I think they’re getting more and more serious as the days go by for maybe the obvious reason. But we are talking to them right now.”

He said he preferred a negotiated end to the war, but a military end might be easier.

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