WASHINGTON — President Trump halted new US strikes on Iran as he weighs whether Tehran is ready to cut a deal — while a wider regional war appears to be spreading into another critical shipping corridor.
After 13 consecutive days of attacks, Trump instructed the US military to pause any additional strikes against Iran Friday, Axios reported Saturday, which cited two people familiar with the decision.
But the president has made clear that the temporary halt does not mean Washington is backing down.
In a brief phone interview with France’s LCI news, Trump said he was still prepared to restart a major military campaign if Tehran does not give the United States what it wants.
“If we don’t get 100% of what we want, absolutely,” Trump said when asked whether he could return to full-scale war with Iran.
Trump also told LCI that European allies were “lucky they have me as their friend,” arguing that his pressure campaign was forcing Iran toward negotiations.
The White House has not publicly announced that the pause represents a formal cease-fire, and the administration has continued to keep military options on the table. Trump said Thursday that the US was “locked and loaded” for a possible major attack while talks with the Iranians continued.
The shift comes after weeks of escalating strikes between Washington and Tehran, with the US carrying out attacks on Iranian military targets and Iran responding with missile and drone strikes against American positions and regional interests in the Gulf.
The immediate test for both sides is whether the pause can translate into a broader agreement.
Trump has repeatedly said Iran wants a deal, but has demanded major concessions from Tehran. Iranian officials have publicly pushed back against US pressure while divisions persist inside Tehran over whether diplomacy or confrontation is the best path forward.
But as Washington weighs its next move with Iran, the conflict is already spilling into another volatile theater.
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The widening war erupted into a new flashpoint Saturday as Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthi terrorists traded airstrikes, raising fears that fighting is spreading into another key maritime corridor.
The escalation came days after the Iran-backed Houthis attacked several Saudi commercial vessels in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait — a narrow waterway connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden that carries roughly 5% of global maritime trade.
The Houthis claimed Saturday that they launched dozens of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones at Saudi state-owned energy giant Aramco’s facilities in the Red Sea cities of Yanbu and Jizan.
“The operations successfully achieved their objectives, thanks be to God,” Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said in a prerecorded statement.
“We confirm the blockade on the Saudi enemy is still ongoing in response to their aggression,” he added.
The Houthis said the barrage was retaliation for Saudi airstrikes Friday on Hodeidah and Karaman Island. Saudi Arabia targeted several sites, including naval targets.
The Kingdom had not publicly confirmed strikes on the Aramco facilities as of Saturday morning.
