US says diplomatic talks with Iran continue, Tehran suspends Gulf retaliation

BAGHDAD, Iraq — US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said Sunday that the United States is engaged in diplomatic discussions with Iran at all levels, describing what he called a clear internal divide within the Iranian leadership. Waltz told reporters that President Donald Trump had opened a diplomatic channel with Iran, an effort he said Washington was pursuing even as military operations remained an option. A US Defense Department official confirmed that military operations against Iran have been paused. Separately, Iran announced it was suspending retaliatory strikes against Gulf states following the halt in US airstrikes. Iranian Armed Forces spokesman Mohammad Akraminia said the Americans had ceased attacks over the previous two nights and that Iran's strategy of mutual retaliation had led Tehran to suspend its retaliation operations as well. According to initial assessments, Trump held a meeting with senior advisers on Friday to review options for expanding military operations as a way to bring Iran back to negotiations on US terms. No further details on the diplomatic track were immediately available.