The US Ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, has spoken out on President Donald Trump's recent decision to pause attacks on Iran. According to Waltz, Trump is "giving talks some space; he's giving it a little bit of room."
Ceasefire Talks Stall Again
The pause follows nearly two weeks of daily US strikes and tit-for-tat attacks, effectively unravelling the ceasefire struck in June. Iranian forces had halted "retaliatory" attacks in the region in response to the US's decision to give diplomacy more time. The ceasefire had been intended to last for 60 days, with the aim of reaching an agreement to end the war.
Waltz told NBC that the president was not ruling out further escalation, saying "I wouldn't go that far at all. The president is keeping all options on the table." The US military, according to Waltz, has "everything that it needs to conduct this campaign as effectively as it needs to be."
Oil Prices Soar
The renewed fighting has stoked fears over global energy supplies, with oil prices hitting $100 a barrel for the first time since May. Thousands of people have been killed across the Middle East since the US-Israeli war with Iran began in February, official figures show, with the vast majority coming from Iran and Lebanon.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei confirmed that Iran and Oman had held several rounds of technical talks in Tehran on Friday and Saturday to discuss management of the Strait of Hormuz. The strait remains a major block to permanently ending the war, with disputes over control reigniting US-Iran tensions earlier this month.
UK Weighs In
New Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said he would meet his US counterpart Pete Hegseth in the coming week to discuss the strait, which is one of the world's key transport routes for oil, liquid natural gas and other essential commodities. Streeting told the BBC that "when it comes to securing maritime freedom and free commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, that's where we are absolutely aligned."
What's Next
President Trump is set to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the White House on Tuesday, amid growing public discontent with the conflict. A new poll from CBS/YouGov suggests that 57% of Americans are frustrated about the conflict and only 19% optimistic. The war remains largely unpopular in the US, with thousands of people killed across the Middle East since its beginning in February.
Source: Joy Online
