President Trump said on Monday that he agreed to halt the strikes against Iran, which had been ongoing for 13 consecutive days until Friday, to give negotiations with Iran another chance.
US forces on Thursday completed a 13th consecutive night of attacks against Iranian military capabilities in and around the Strait of Hormuz since the fighting resumed earlier this month.
Video from CENTCOM shows the most recent attacks from the nearly two-week-long airstrike campaign:
The attacks did not continue on Friday or through the weekend, however, as Trump says the countries mediating negotiations between the US and Iran asked him to halt strikes.
“We are in very deep talks with Iran. If they don’t work out, we will go back to very strong military action,” Trump told Axios in an interview on Monday.
Trump further said the attempt at diplomacy will have “not much time.” He added, “Either it goes fast or not at all.”
Trump previously said that he is weighing a “massive” attack on Iran, which would be “bigger than ever before.”
The decision to hold off on strikes followed US Central Command Commander Adm. Brad Cooper advising the President that the bombing campaign in the Strait of Hormuz had essentially reached its limit in degrading Iran’s ability to attack ships in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Axios.
Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine also warned of depleting missile and drone interceptors to counter Iranian retaliation on US bases in the region, according to the New York Times. A spokesperson declined to comment on the leak of confidential advice the general gave to the President.
Meanwhile, over the weekend, the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen said they targeted two Aramco oil company facilities in Saudi Arabia.
Trump had threatened on Thursday to “hold Iran responsible” and inflict “major military punishment” upon Iran and the Houthis after the group began targeting shipping in the Red Sea on Wednesday.
“The U.S. will hold Iran responsible, in that the Houthis are a Surrogate and/or Proxy of Iran, and major military punishment will be inflicted upon Iran and, of course, the Houthis, themselves,” the President said before they attacked Saudi oil facilities.
DEVELOPING: Houthis Target Saudi Aramco Oil Facilities as Trump Threatens “Major Military Punishment” for Houthi Agression
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