Iran-US war news: US President Donald Trump has paused strikes on Iran after nearly two consecutive weeks amid Washington hinting at a shift towards negotiations to hammer out a peace deal with Tehran for ending West Asia war.
However, apart from the renewed push for a diplomatic solution, another major reason for Trump backing down after an extensive bombing campaign against Iran for 13 straight days is due to dwindling stockpiles of US missile defences, with the Pentagon warning that a prolonged campaign could critically deplete interceptors and air defences in the Middle East.
Why Trump ordered pause on US strikes in Iran?
According to Axios, Trump on Friday directed the military to pause fresh strikes on Iran despite receiving a new strike plan, as reached the conclusion that the current military campaign had arrived at the limit of its effectiveness, and prolonging it requires expanding to a much larger scale.
Citing sources, Axios reported that Trump wants to create more space for diplomacy, but seeks to retain the option of restarting strikes at short notice if negotiations fail.
On Friday, Trump told reporters that US remained “locked and loaded” but believed “the smarter strategy” was to pursue a deal with Iran. “We’re talking to them right now. I think they’re getting more and more serious as the days go by,” he said.
What did US officials say?
However, speaking at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, Trump said he not believe Iran was ready to strike a deal immediately, but asserted that he remained willing to negotiate.
Meanwhile, US officials said the decision to pause the Iran war was driven by a combination of factors, including a renewed push for negotiations, dwindling munitions and the fear that more escalation could trigger a wider, regional war.
According to White House Communications Director Steven Cheung, Trump wants to keep all military options on the table if Iran continued attacks in the Strait of Hormuz or against US allies, but claimed the US president favoured a diplomatic solution to end the conflict.
Is US facing a shortage of missiles?
Trump’s decision to pause the war comes amid growing concern within the Pentagon over dwindling US missile defence inventories, with top military brass warning that a wider campaign risks critically depleting stockpiles of Patriot interceptor missiles and other air-defence systems deployed across the Middle East, The New York Times reported.
As per the report, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen Dan Caine told Trump that a broader military campaign against Iran could significantly strain interceptor stockpiles assigned to US Central Command, which risks exposing US troops, allies and military installations to retaliatory Iranian strikes.
The US military has already burned through over 1,200 Patriot interceptor missiles in recent months, and a larger campaign could further weaken missile inventories, the report said, citing Pentagon officials.
First published on: Jul 26, 2026 04:55 PM IST
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