Tehran appears to test Trump's latest pause
DUBAI, July 27 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Iraq reported drone attacks on Monday, two days after the United States abruptly suspended a two-week campaign of airstrikes against Iran, as Tehran appeared to put President Donald Trump's latest strategic U-turn to the test.
Saudi Arabia said it shot down drones aimed at petroleum targets, including in the capital Riyadh. It said the drones had been launched from Iraq by Iran-backed armed groups, and it reserved the right to respond.
Separately, Iran's Houthi allies in Yemen said they had targeted transit sites carrying oil to Saudi Arabia's main Red Sea oil port of Yanbu, in retaliation for what they said were Saudi drone incursions into Yemeni airspace.
Earlier, Jordan reported shooting down two drones, and Iraqi security sources reported a series of drone attacks in northern Iraq. Officials did not identify the sources of those drones.
Jordan and northern Iraq were the locations where four U.S. service members were killed during the two-week air campaign, which Trump suspended abruptly over the weekend after his top brass advised him that the strategy had run its course.
Trump said on Monday that Washington was in "very deep talks with Iran" and warned he is ready for "strong military action" if diplomacy fails.
"Not much time. Either it goes fast or not at all," he told Axios when asked how long he was willing to give for talks.
Iran, however, has said it is not seeking to resume peace talks with the U.S., although it would pause its own attacks for as long as Trump's self-imposed ceasefire continues.
It also said it was still in control of the contested Strait of Hormuz, the key waterway for global energy supplies which Trump has demanded vessels be able to pass through freely.
OIL PRICES TUMBLE AFTER TRUMP PAUSES AIRSTRIKES
In his latest strategic reversal over the weekend, which came with no prior announcement, Trump halted a campaign of 13 successive nights of intensifying bombing that had prompted Tehran to fire on U.S. bases in response.
The end of the U.S. campaign sent oil prices tumbling. Brent crude, which had briefly ticked above $100 a barrel last week for the first time since May, fell around 6.5% on Monday to just over $90, having touched levels as low as $87.55.
Trump's decision to suspend the campaign reflected advice from his military that the bombing had reached the limits of what it could achieve, according to a U.S. official and several U.S. media reports.
The U.S. official told Reuters that military commanders had advised the president they were running out of targets. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, had expressed concern over the depletion of air defence munitions, the official said.
REQUEST FOR MORE TALKS 'NOT IN OUR DNA', IRAN SPOKESMAN SAYS
The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, said on Sunday Trump had paused the campaign to allow room for negotiations. Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other U.S. officials have described Iran as "begging for a deal, opens new tab".
But the spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry, Esmail Baghaei, said in a televised press conference on Monday that Iran had not asked to resume peace talks with the United States.
Messages were still being passed between the sides through mediators and Iran had not forsaken diplomacy, but "reports about Iran requesting negotiations with the U.S. are fabricated," Baghaei said. "This is not in our DNA."
IRAN STATE MEDIA SAY SIX SHIPS TURNED BACK IN STRAIT
Several Iranian state media outlets cited an "informed source" as saying that Iran had turned around six "offending ships" on Monday morning that had attempted to cross the Strait of Hormuz without its permission. One of the vessels, the source said, had had "an accident".
Trump launched his renewed bombing campaign to punish Iran after Tehran fired on ships using a route through the strait that has been promoted by the United States, which has told vessels to sail close to the coast of Oman.
Iran says ships may pass only through a channel that runs closer to its own coast, which it controls and where it intends to impose transit fees.
The two weeks of renewed U.S. bombing killed scores of people in Iran and destroyed bridges and tunnels across the south as well as military targets. Four U.S. service members were killed by Iran's return fire against U.S. bases in neighbouring Arab states. Iran also struck civilian infrastructure in Gulf countries in what it said was retaliation for U.S. strikes on civilian targets.
The halt to the renewed U.S. bombing campaign leaves no clear indication of what leverage Washington can exert to achieve Trump's aim to break Iran's grip on the strait.
Washington and Tehran reached an agreement in June on a framework for talks meant to take place by the end of August to resolve major issues such as Iran's nuclear programme.
But the sides have disputed the meaning of the memorandum's language about the strait, with Washington insisting it requires Tehran to allow free travel while Iran says it grants it the authority to supervise transit.
https://www.reuters.com/world/middl...ks-after-trump-halts-bombing-2026-07-27/
