Trump pauses Iran strikes, allows talks space
Vance, top general, warned against escalation
Iran-US messages continue through diplomatic mediators
Tehran accuses Washington of betraying negotiations
Iran blames Ukraine over Caspian Sea attack
More than 400 US service members have been medically evacuated from the Middle East since the launch of Operation Epic Fury, CBS News reported, quoting US officials.
The network reported that officials said most of the cases were not related to combat injuries.
Operation Epic Fury, the joint US-Israeli military campaign against Iran, began on February 28.
Foreign Ministry describes recent US strikes as a continuation of an "illegal war" against Iran, arguing that they reflected Washington's failure to honour its commitments.


President Donald Trump has rejected reports that the US is running low on munitions in its war with Iran, saying Washington has "far more munitions than anyone in the world".
The Wall Street Journal reported that General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, warned the White House about declining stocks of air defence interceptors.
Oil prices dropped sharply at Monday's opening of Asian markets as investors breathed cautious sighs of relief following two consecutive nights without US strikes on Iran, leaving the door open for new talks.
The price of a barrel of international benchmark North Sea Brent crude fell 5.58 percent to $91.38, while its US counterpart West Texas Intermediate slid $5.46 percent to $84.43.
Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani has urged full implementation of the US-Iran memorandum of understanding, including guaranteeing freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, during talks with Oman's foreign minister.
The two leaders discussed joint efforts to reduce regional tensions. Sheikh Mohammed reaffirmed Qatar's support for dialogue and diplomacy, calling for a comprehensive agreement to secure lasting peace across the region.
The US military leadership advised pausing the bombardment of Iran after concluding that the current air campaign had achieved its immediate goals and was no longer producing operational results, Axios reported.
CENTCOM Commander Brad Cooper reportedly informed the White House that two weeks of intensive strikes in the Strait of Hormuz area had “significantly degraded” Tehran’s ability to target commercial vessels. Sources indicated that Cooper noted the designated bombing targets were "mostly exhausted", arguing that continuing the strikes would serve no strategic purpose without a major escalation into full-scale combat.
This military assessment played a critical role in US President Donald Trump’s decision on Friday to suspend offensives. Additionally, Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, warned the US president and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth that a dwindling supply of air defence interceptors could leave American personnel and regional allies exposed to retaliation.
CENTCOM declined to comment on the internal briefing, Axios said.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has reaffirmed Tehran’s support for Hezbollah and called for a “complete and unconditional” end to Israeli attacks on Lebanon.
His statement came on X in response to a letter pledging allegiance from Hezbollah’s secretary-general and the group’s members.
“Iran has designated the preservation of Lebanon’s territorial integrity and the absolute, unconditional termination of the Zionist regime’s aggression as the primary condition for any agreement to end the imposed war against the aggressive US,” he said.
Mojtaba said Hezbollah stands as “an unyielding rock as a forerunner of groups” fighting against Israeli assaults.
The Iranian leader said nations of the world “have grown weary of the tyranny and oppression” of the US government and Israel, “who are the destroyers of lives and generations.”
Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is not communicating with any party or person for “specific reasons", his father-in-law said.
Khamenei "is not communicating with any party or individual for specific reasons", Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel said in statements carried by ISNA News Agency. He, however, did not give any further details.
Haddad-Adel said Mojtaba is like his father, former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, “in every way,” expressing hope that he is “in good health.”
The Iranian foreign minister says he conveyed Iran’s position during separate phone calls with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.


Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed that joint military offensives with the US have crippled Iran’s nuclear ambitions "quite a bit", pushing the programme back several years.
"We knocked out 20 of their chief nuclear scientists in the two operations that we did with the United States," Netanyahu told Fox News.
He asserted that while Tehran's capabilities were severely degraded, the international community must remain on "constant watch" to prevent any attempts to restore the programme.
Trump pauses Iran strikes, allows talks space
Vance, top general, warned against escalation
Iran-US messages continue through diplomatic mediators
Tehran accuses Washington of betraying negotiations
Iran blames Ukraine over Caspian Sea attack







