Trump says he halted strikes at mediators' request and will return to expanded military operations if talks fail

US President Donald Trump said on Monday, 27 July 2026 (5 Mordad 1405), that the halt in strikes on areas around the Strait of Hormuz was a response to a request from the mediating parties. He said: "I responded to the mediators' request in order to give the negotiations with Iran a chance."

Trump went on to say: "We are having deep talks with Iran, but if they fail we go back to broad military operations." In a separate interview the same day he again said he was ready for military action should the negotiations fail. US media reports, by contrast, have attributed the halt in strikes on southern Iran to their lack of effectiveness. Sahmino neither confirms nor rejects either account.

The remarks accompany a second day of a mutual pause in US and Iranian strikes, a pause that global markets priced quickly. According to market data, Brent crude fell about 6.6 percent on Monday to around 90 dollars a barrel, after having passed 100 dollars in the previous week. The course of the negotiations and the status of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz are the principal variables behind the risk premium in the oil market and in Iran's currency market.