The United States paused its attacks on Iran for a second straight day on Sunday, July 27th, 2026, with Tehran announcing it had also halted retaliatory operations. This pause comes amid ongoing efforts to revive negotiations on an interim ceasefire deal, which had been largely undermined by recent exchanges of fire.

The nearly two-week escalation began after Iran fired at ships attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz, a critical oil and gas transit chokepoint. The US military stated its strikes aimed to "degrade Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz."

US Central Command reported that as of Saturday, its forces had redirected 12 commercial vessels trying to bypass the blockade, disabled two that did not comply, and boarded another two to ensure compliance.

Speaking to US media, US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said President Donald Trump was "giving diplomacy some space" and "time," emphasizing that "he is giving diplomacy a chance." However, Waltz also warned that additional military assets were moving into the region and that "the regime should believe the president when he says they're locked and loaded, and where all options are on the table."

Meanwhile, Tehran faces a diplomatic clash with Kyiv following a Ukrainian strike on an Iranian vessel in the Caspian Sea on Saturday. Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said the strike killed a sailor and warned that it "cannot go unanswered."

The Strait of Hormuz has been central to tensions between Washington and Tehran and was a key part of a "memorandum of understanding" agreed upon by the two sides in June, under which Iran was required to reopen the waterway.

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