US pauses attacks on Iran for a second straight day and Tehran does too
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The U.S. military says it has fired on a merchant vessel attempting to breach its blockade of Iranian ports. It’s the second commercial ship to be disabled since the military reimposed its blockade in the Strait of Hormuz
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Two men wade in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz with vessels anchored in the background, off Bandar Abbas, Iran, Sunday, July 12, 2026. (Razieh Poudat/ISNA
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People walk through the village of Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh after the Lebanese army deployed to the village in southern Lebanon, Sunday, July 26, 2026. /Ahmad Mantash)
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A Lebanese soldier looks through the binoculars of an anti-tank launcher in front of a destroyed mosque after deploying in the village of Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh, southern Lebanon, Sunday, July 26, 2026. /Ahmad Mantash)
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A Lebanese woman clears debris of her destroyed house in the village of Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh, southern Lebanon, Sunday, July 26, 2026. /Ahmad Mantash)
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Lebanese soldiers deploy in the village of Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh, southern Lebanon, Sunday, July 26, 2026. /Ahmad Mantash)
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The U.S. military says it has fired on a merchant vessel attempting to breach its blockade of Iranian ports. It’s the second commercial ship to be disabled since the military reimposed its blockade in the Strait of Hormuz
2 of 6 |
Two men wade in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz with vessels anchored in the background, off Bandar Abbas, Iran, Sunday, July 12, 2026. (Razieh Poudat/ISNA
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Two men wade in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz with vessels anchored in the background, off Bandar Abbas, Iran, Sunday, July 12, 2026. (Razieh Poudat/ISNA
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People walk through the village of Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh after the Lebanese army deployed to the village in southern Lebanon, Sunday, July 26, 2026. /Ahmad Mantash)
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People walk through the village of Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh after the Lebanese army deployed to the village in southern Lebanon, Sunday, July 26, 2026. /Ahmad Mantash)
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A Lebanese soldier looks through the binoculars of an anti-tank launcher in front of a destroyed mosque after deploying in the village of Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh, southern Lebanon, Sunday, July 26, 2026. /Ahmad Mantash)
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A Lebanese soldier looks through the binoculars of an anti-tank launcher in front of a destroyed mosque after deploying in the village of Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh, southern Lebanon, Sunday, July 26, 2026. /Ahmad Mantash)
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A Lebanese woman clears debris of her destroyed house in the village of Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh, southern Lebanon, Sunday, July 26, 2026. /Ahmad Mantash)
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A Lebanese woman clears debris of her destroyed house in the village of Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh, southern Lebanon, Sunday, July 26, 2026. /Ahmad Mantash)
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Lebanese soldiers deploy in the village of Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh, southern Lebanon, Sunday, July 26, 2026. /Ahmad Mantash)
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Lebanese soldiers deploy in the village of Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh, southern Lebanon, Sunday, July 26, 2026. /Ahmad Mantash)
By
SAMY MAGDY and CARA ANNA
Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year]
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CAIRO (AP) — The United States paused its attacks on Iran for a second straight day Sunday and Tehran said it had done so too, as efforts continued to bring the countries back to negotiations on an interim ceasefire deal largely undermined by recent exchanges of fire
It was not clear why the U.S. has paused after targeting Iranian coastal areas and infrastructure in a nearly two-week escalation sparked by Iran’s firing at ships trying to transit the Strait of Hormuz. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to questions Sunday
U.S. President Donald Trump is “giving talks some space. He’s giving it a little bit of room,” Mike Waltz, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, told Fox News. “We’ve had both Oman and Iran, and a number of our other negotiators, engaged at every level, from the most senior levels all the way down to the technical level over the past few weeks, and particularly in the past few days.”
Waltz dismissed the idea that the U.S. stockpile of interceptors crucial in defending against Iranian attacks is running low, but experts have questioned how long both the U.S. and Iran can afford to keep up attacks
Since the U.S. has halted attacks for the past two nights, Iran has as well, its army spokesperson told Iran’s state TV on Sunday. Tehran in recent days has counterattacked against countries in the region hosting U.S. military forces, killing at least three at a base in Jordan
A regional official calls the pause a ‘positive signal’
The 60-day period that began when the interim deal was signed by both countries in mid-June is now well into its second half, and major issues that were meant to be negotiated -– notably Iran’s nuclear program at the heart of tensions -– remain set aside as mediators try to keep both sides talking
A regional official involved in mediation efforts said diplomacy was underway and that a pause in U.S. and Iranian strikes was a “positive signal that helps their efforts to de-escalate.”
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The official said both countries want to return to the interim ceasefire deal and that a compromise being negotiated centers on having Iran run vessel transit through the Strait of Hormuz with fewer restrictions on ships. The official was not authorized to discuss the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity
Concerns continued about shipping on the strait and now on another crucial waterway in the region, the Bab al-Mandeb strait to the Red Sea. Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen last week threatened a blockade of Saudi shipping there
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Iran on Sunday said it continued to speak with Oman about managing the safe passage of ships on the Strait of Hormuz, which passes between the countries. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, said talks had made progress and continued
Baghaei also said the strait’s status remained unchanged. Tehran has asserted that the interim deal with the U.S. allows it to manage shipping on the waterway for now, and it has objected to U.S. efforts to support a route through the strait that passes close to Oman instead. The strait was considered an international waterway before the war
The U.S. military on Saturday said its recently reimposed naval blockade against Iran continued, with a dozen commercial ships redirected, two disabled and two boarded. U.S. forces “remain highly vigilant, focused, lethal, and ready,” it added
Netanyahu says he ‘fully’ backs Trump’s efforts
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to travel to the United States and meet with Trump in Washington on Tuesday, his office has said. They last met in Washington in February, weeks before they launched the war on Iran that killed senior leaders including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
The Iranian-backed Hezbollah fired at Israel two days after the war began, and Israel responded with airstrikes and ground forces in southern Lebanon. Since then, the U.S. has supported landmark direct talks between Lebanon and Israel to try to calm that front and find a way to disarm Hezbollah
Netanyahu on Sunday told Fox News he “fully” backs Trump’s efforts to weaken Iran and press it to end its nuclear program, adding: “If he can do so without returning to intense military fighting, that’s fine. Why not?”
The prime minister indicated he would not present new information to “our good friend” Trump and instead would listen to “what he has in mind, because I think in many ways, it’s his decision.”
But Netanyahu warned that if Iran again attacks Israel, directly or with armed proxies, “it will make a terrible mistake.”
Anna reported from Lowville, New York. Associated Press writers Darlene Superville and Ben Finley in Washington contributed
SAMY MAGDY
CARA ANNA
