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Strikes pause after diplomacy
U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the U.S. military not to launch new attacks on Iran on Friday, ending a 13-day streak of daily bombing, after about two weeks of daily attacks, according to Axios as cited by the BBC.
The BBC also reported that the orders came hours after an Omani delegation arrived in Tehran to discuss arrangements for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, and that on Saturday there were no reports of Iranian attacks on neighboring countries that had been carried out daily in response to American attacks.
Iran’s state television quoted the spokesman for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps saying Britain would become a "legitimate and guaranteed" target if it supports the United States in any war with Tehran, and that any country including Britain and Gulf states that supports the United States would be considered a legitimate target.
On the ground, the U.S. military said on Saturday that the naval blockade imposed on Iran "still remains fully in effect," even as it did not officially explain why the escalating strikes that lasted 13 nights had stopped.
The BBC further said CENTCOM rerouted 12 merchant ships attempting to breach the embargo and completed a boarding operation to verify the status of the Charminar M/T Charminar in the Arabian Sea, while disabling the movement of the Lavine M/T Lavine in the Gulf of Oman after its crew attempted to breach the blockade.
Competing explanations and warnings
The BBC said Trump told reporters that the United States and Iran are in talks to negotiate an end to their dispute, but he added again that Tehran is not yet ready to reach an agreement and gave Iran a choice between reaching an agreement or facing a level of strikes that is "much more severe."
In a separate account, the Hebrew newspaper Ma'ariv, in an article by writer Eli (Elie) Leon, said Trump issued orders to the U.S. military not to launch another wave of airstrikes on Iranian territory, describing it as "this exceptional directive" from the White House to make room for diplomatic efforts.
The BBC reported that Iran’s IRGC spokesman Hossein Mohabi said Iran destroyed 11 American fighter jets and helicopters on the ground "while stationed at American bases in the region" during 15 days of the war from July 8 to 22, according to IRNA.
El País framed the pause and renewed confrontation as part of an "endless war" dynamic, quoting Trump’s July 8 declaration that he "declared the fragile ceasefire with Iran dead" and adding Trump’s remark: 'I no longer want to deal with them. They are scum.'
El País also quoted David Axelrod, former Obama adviser, writing on Truth: 'There are days when I feel like the passenger on a plane piloted by a six-year-old. All you can do is pray it lands safely,' as it described no immediate way out.
Economic stakes and next moves
The BBC reported that Iran said it had managed during the war to sell oil worth $11.5 billion, and during the ceasefire period to sell oil worth $6.5 billion, with Oil Minister Mohsen Bak Najad saying the sales achieved more than 60 percent of the expected oil revenues in Iran's annual budget.
In the same BBC account, the IRGC announced that it stopped four ships attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz within 24 hours, and UKMTO reported an incident involving a tanker and military forces near the Strait of Hormuz as fighting resumed against the United States.
The BBC also said on the Yemen conflict Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told an interview published by the state-run Iran newspaper that "no solution can be found militarily," calling for a "dialogue" to resolve the Yemen matter, Bab al-Mandeb, and other regional issues.
In the Reuters-linked framing carried by ایـران آنلاین, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders said the war against Iran is contrary to the U.S. Constitution and international law and should never have begun, and he argued: "We must end this war as quickly as possible through negotiations."
Sanders also criticized the resumption of U.S. aggressive attacks against Iran in a message addressed to Donald Trump, writing on his X account: "End this war. End of report/"
