For the first time in two weeks, the United States did not carry out airstrikes against Iran overnight, even as Iran-backed Houthi forces launched attacks on Saudi Arabian oil facilities and two ports along the Red Sea.
Washington offered no official explanation for halting its 13-day campaign of escalating strikes, which had been launched in response to Iranian attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
“It seems our beloved Iran had a peaceful night yesterday,” Iranian Health Ministry spokesperson Hossein Kermanpour wrote in a post on X.
There were also no reports of Iranian attacks on neighbouring Gulf states, ending a daily pattern of retaliation seen in recent days.
According to Axios, citing two unnamed sources, US President Donald Trump instructed the military on Friday not to conduct further strikes against Iran.
A senior US official also told Reuters that Trump has consistently preferred diplomacy but had demonstrated to Tehran the consequences of refusing serious negotiations.
Speaking on Friday, Trump confirmed that the United States and Iran are discussing a possible agreement to end the conflict, while stressing that Tehran is not yet ready to reach a deal.
Despite the relative calm in the Gulf, the renewed confrontation between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia has raised concerns that the conflict could spread beyond the Strait of Hormuz to the strategically important Red Sea, while also reigniting Yemen’s civil war.
Source: ANA-MPA
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