The U.S. Said it Halted Attacks On Iran To Give Room For Diplomacy. Tehran Says It’s Not Pursuing Talks

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Iran is not seeking more talks with the U.S. even though the countries have halted attacks over the past days.

Speaking in a press conference on Monday, Baghaei said the country had not asked to resume talks because it is not on the country's "DNA."

He went on to say that Tehran still controls the Strait of Hormuz, where it has been targeting ships that do not coordinate passage with its forces. Iran will seek to charge tolls for passage.

In fact, Iranian media outlets said the country turned around six "offending ships" that sought to cross the waterway without authorization.

"As previously announced, the traffic route in the Strait of Hormuz is the route specified by Iran, and other routes are contaminated and have no way out," a source told local press.

The U.S. has not conducted new attacks since Friday, leading Iran to hold its own military action, which has targeted different Gulf countries.

Axios detailed that Brad Cooper, the commander of the U.S. Military Central Command (CENTCOM), said the current campaign hit its limit of effectiveness.

The outlet noted that Cooper recommended the U.S. stop bombing Iranian assets around the Strait of Hormuz as a result, playing a role in President Donald Trump's decision to halt attacks.

Cooper claimed that almost two weeks of relentless strikes had significantly degraded Iran's position around the key waterway, which is seeking to control following the war between the countries.

Elsewhere, the outlet noted that the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Caine, also said dwindling stockpiles of interceptors could prevent the U.S. from properly defending its positions and those of its allies.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz also acknowledged that that the pause was aimed at "giving diplomacy some space."

"It's giving diplomacy a little bit of time. The president tried diplomacy last year, tried it this year. He is a president of peace. He is giving diplomacy a chance," Waltz said.

On Sunday, CBS News reported that Iranian officials and their Omani counterparts have made progress in talks to go back to a ceasefire. However, Reuters detailed that Jordan has already reported shooting down two drones.