Official says Trump's preference ' is diplomacy' as US pauses Iran strikes

Official says Trump's preference ' is diplomacy' as US pauses Iran strikes

The US military has said that its naval blockade against Iran "remains in full effect" but did not explain why it halted a streak of 13 nights of escalating strikes. 

Asked about the pause, a senior official in President Donald Trump's administration said Trump "has always been clear that his preference is diplomacy, but he has shown Iran what will happen if they fail to come to the table in a serious way.”

There were also no reports on Saturday of attacks from Iran on neighbouring countries, like those that have been taking place daily in response to the US attacks.

Separately, Iran's Foreign Ministry accused Ukraine of attacking an Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea, saying it resulted in an explosion that killed a sailor and injured another.

Earlier on Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in a social media post praised the results of "long‑range strikes" in the Caspian Sea, alluding to vessels shipping military cargo, but did not identify the nationality of the targets. (Reporting by Reuters) ...