US Temporarily Halts Air Strikes on Iran Amid Ammunition Concerns
Iran passed another night without US air strikes on Sunday, after the United States temporarily halted the war amid reports of concerns over depleting munitions that held back plans for further escalation.
According to AFP and Al Jazeera on Sunday (26/7/2026), reports from The New York Times and Axios said US President Donald Trump had decided to postpone plans to strike Iran. The decision came after 13 consecutive days of attacks.
The Times, citing officials from the Trump administration, said the president’s decision was taken amid concerns that escalating the war could “dangerously deplete already thin stocks of Patriot missile interceptors and other air defence munitions in the Middle East”.
The decision reportedly followed a meeting on Friday between Trump, his top advisers, and senior members of his cabinet.
Trump’s decision was said to “reflect his willingness to give more room to diplomacy and a recognition that, without returning to full-scale combat operations, the current US strike rate has reached the limit of its effectiveness”.
The report quoted sources saying the US military was preparing plans for a possible return to full-scale combat operations.
Meanwhile, the pause has revived hopes of a return to negotiations after nearly two weeks of consecutive nightly US bombing, although US media reported that the lull may also reflect pressure on Patriot interceptor stocks and other defence weapons.
Fighting in the Strait of Hormuz had thwarted diplomatic efforts between Washington and Tehran, but the conflict widened beyond the vital energy corridor to include attacks on US bases, regional shipping, and Gulf allies.
However, US operations against Iran have been “suspended”, CNN reported, citing unnamed Pentagon sources. The report emerged as President Donald Trump threatened to launch strikes at a “far higher level” on Friday.
Earlier on Friday, Trump said he had not yet decided whether to return to all-out operations.
“We’re talking to them right now. I think they’re getting more serious,” he told journalists.
Trump said Iran faced a choice between a deal and strikes at a “far higher level”.
The war, which Trump once predicted would last four or five weeks, is now approaching its fifth month and is weighing on Republican approval ratings ahead of crucial US midterm elections in November.