France 24 is reporting that the United States has paused its air strikes against Iran after nearly two weeks of nightly bombardments. The outlet said US media reports suggest this halt is due to concerns over dwindling stockpiles of Patriot interceptors and other air defense munitions. CNN reported, citing an unidentified Pentagon source, that US operations against Iran were "on a hold," despite President Donald Trump's Friday threat of "much higher level" strikes. The New York Times, citing two people briefed on the matter, said plans to escalate the campaign were shelved partly because of shrinking supplies. Axios reported that the Pentagon presented a plan for a 14th night of strikes, but Trump declined to authorize it, opting instead for a push for talks. Vice President JD Vance and top US general Dan Caine reportedly raised concerns about escalation at a White House meeting.
The conflict, now nearing its fifth month, is reportedly weighing on Trump's approval ratings ahead of crucial US midterm elections in November.
Separately, fighting has spread to a new front in Yemen, where Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed strikes on Saudi Aramco sites in Jizan and Yanbu. A Greek-operated surface-to-air battery in Saudi Arabia reportedly downed two ballistic missiles and a drone over Yanbu. Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they stopped four ships attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's Foreign Ministry also accused Ukraine of attacking an Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea, resulting in one death and one injury. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky noted reports that Russia was passing satellite observations to Iran to direct strikes in the Middle East.