Iran says it still controls strait, not seeking talks, after Trump halts bombing

By Nayera Abdallah and Elwely Elwelly

Iran said on Monday it was still in control of the Strait of Hormuz and not seeking to resume peace talks with ​the United States, after President Donald Trump halted a two-week bombing campaign that his top brass told him had run its course.

Following 13 successive nights of intensifying bombing that ‌provoked Tehran to fire on US bases in response, Trump halted the campaign over the weekend. Iran said it would pause its own attacks for as long as the US pause in bombing endures.

Trump’s decision to suspend the campaign reflected advice from his top brass that the bombing, aimed at breaking Iran’s grip on strait, had reached the limits of what it could achieve, according to a US official and widespread US media reports.

The US official told Reuters that military commanders had ​advised the president that they were running out of targets.