CAIRO (AP) 鈥� Mediators have achieved progress in getting the United States and back to negotiations, regional officials said Monday, after both sides following a period of rapidly escalating tensions. But scattered attacks by armed groups across the region underscored the lingering tensions.
Saudi Arabia said it had shot down drones fired by Iran-backed militias in Iraq that had targeted its petroleum facilities. Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen meanwhile claimed to have attacked Saudi oil facilities as part of . It was unclear if they referred to the same attack.
Neither the U.S. nor Iran reported carrying out any attacks for three days 鈥� a respite after about two weeks of sustained bombardments that led to increasing fears of a return to all-out war.
U.S. President said Iran had asked for more discussions, reaching out directly 鈥渂ecause we鈥檝e been hitting them very hard.鈥� Iran has said there are no direct talks underway.
鈥淲e鈥檙e having good talks, so we鈥檒l see what happens,鈥� Trump told reporters Monday on Air Force One. 鈥淚 think there鈥檚 a good chance that something could happen. And if it does, good. if it doesn鈥檛, we go back to doing what we were doing two days ago.鈥�
The two regional officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door talks, said mediators led by and were working to bridge the gap between Washington and Tehran to return to an that had collapsed after exchanges of fire.
No strikes over the weekend
In addition to the attack on Saudi Arabia, two drone attacks were reported against a Kurdish Iranian dissident group in Iraq on Monday, and Jordan said it had shot down two drones, without saying where they originated. There were no reports of casualties or damage.
, meanwhile, have been publicly feuding since Ukraine fired on at least one Iranian vessel in the Caspian Sea over the weekend. Iran, which said a sailor had been killed in the attack, is an important ally of Russia in its war against Ukraine and helped Moscow build up its drone expertise.
attacks after targeting Iranian coastal areas and infrastructure in a nearly two-week escalation sparked by Iran鈥檚 firing at ships trying to transit the , a crucial waterway for global oil shipments. Iran had responded to the strikes with missile and drone attacks on countries hosting U.S. troops, killing at least three at a base in Jordan and one in Iraq.
Iran halted its attacks following the American pause, Tehran鈥檚 army spokesperson told Iranian state TV on Sunday.
Questions about US munitions stockpile
The Iran war has of key weapons systems like missiles and interceptors, analysts say.
Asked if the U.S. munitions stockpile was running low, Trump said both that it was 鈥渋n very good shape,鈥� and 鈥淚鈥檇 like to have more, to be honest.鈥� Experts have questioned how long both the U.S. and Iran can afford to keep up attacks.
Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has told Trump that the state of the country鈥檚 stockpile could have an impact on military operations in Iran, a U.S. official said.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive conversations, said this message was delivered as part of Caine鈥檚 regular duties of providing military advice and options to Trump.
Caine told lawmakers at a hearing last week that 鈥渁irpower has its limits鈥� in achieving military objectives. The U.S. military has employed airstrikes almost exclusively against Iran.
Regional officials cite progress in talks
One of the regional officials who spoke to AP on Monday described the progress made in mediation efforts as 鈥渟ignificant.鈥� He said mediators were working with Iran and on a mechanism for managing vessels鈥� transit through the Strait of Hormuz, the flashpoint for the latest strikes and counterstrikes.
Iran鈥檚 Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, said during a news conference in Tehran on Monday that 鈥渕ediators may convey messages to us from the American side鈥� but that there were no direct negotiations.
He said Iran and Oman, which lies on the other side of the Strait of Hormuz, talked Friday and Saturday on how to through the waterway.
Their aim is to 鈥渄evelop mechanisms to ensure safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz while respecting the sovereign rights and sovereignty of both coastal states, as well as Iran鈥檚 security and national interests鈥� Baghaei said. He stressed that the waterway remains closed.
Tehran has asserted that the interim deal with the U.S. allows it to manage shipping on the waterway and potentially charge fees, and it has objected to U.S. efforts to support an alternative route that passes close to Oman. The strait was open to all without fees before the war.
The U.S. military on Monday said its against Iran continued, with 17 commercial ships redirected, two disabled and two boarded.
The 60-day period established by the interim deal in mid-June is now well into its second half, and major issues that were meant to be negotiated 鈥� notably at the heart of tensions 鈥� have been set aside as mediators try to keep both sides talking.
Shipping traffic on the strait is at a 3-week low
Concerns have grown about shipping through another crucial waterway in the region, the to the Red Sea. The Houthis last week threatened a blockade of Saudi shipping there, and .
Global energy supplies and the economy remain in the balance as .
Commercial shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz was at a three-week low, a maritime body overseen by the U.S. Navy said Sunday, adding that no new attacks had been confirmed in the past 72 hours. It said traffic remained steady through Bab el-Mandeb.
Netanyahu says he 鈥榝ully鈥� backs Trump鈥檚 efforts
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister said he plans to meet with Trump in Washington on Tuesday. They last met in Washington in February, weeks before they that killed Iran’s senior leaders, including Supreme Leader .
The Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon fired at Israel two days after the war began, and Israel responded with airstrikes .
The U.S. State Department said Monday that the next round of talks between Israel and Lebanon will take place next week in Rome with a focus on expanding 鈥減ilot zones鈥� in which Israeli forces will withdraw and turn over security to the Lebanese Armed Forces.
Talks between the two countries have been going on for months in an effort to eliminate the Hezbollah movement as a force in Lebanon.
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Becatoros reported from Athens, Greece. Associated Press reporters Matthew Lee, Konstantin Toropin, Darlene Superville and Ben Finley in Washington; Jill Lawless and Emma Burrows in London; and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
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