U.S. President Donald Trump said immediately that "there are very friendly negotiations going on" about the conflict with Iran, after the warring sides did not exchange strikes for the third day straight.
Speaking aboard Air Force One on Monday, he expressed optimism that a resolution might be achievable and warned that Washington would return to its earlier military posture if negotiations failed.
Tehran has denied that any direct talks are underway, but the United States paused its strikes on Friday at the request of mediating countries and has also halted Iranian attacks in the region.
The pause follows almost two weeks of rapid U.S. air strikes and retaliatory missile and drone attacks by Iranian forces on U.S. bases and assets in the Gulf and on Israeli targets.
During the ceasefire that was first achieved in June, the U.S. had pledged to degrade Iran’s capability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and to reopen the vital waterway within 60 days.
Oil prices fell more than 9% on Monday as markets hoped for a de‑escalation, dropping to $87.59 a barrel at one point.
Trump also countered rumors that U.S. ammunition stockpiles were dwindling after five months of hostilities, noting that America still has more munitions than it will use and that it continues to build high‑value Patriots anti‑ballistic missiles.
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly confirmed that U.S. forces possess ample munitions and that Operation Epic Fury has revealed the costs of confronting the United States, while encouraging defense contractors to maintain production of advanced American weapons.
