Trump wants to give U.S.-Iran talks 'some space' as he weighs escalation, aide says

President Donald Trump wants to give ongoing talks with Iran "some space" as he considers whether to escalate attacks, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations said Sunday.

Mike Waltz's comments came as the U.S. military paused its bombing raids on Iran over the weekend after 13 consecutive days of heavy strikes and warnings by Trump of an even more aggressive bombing campaign.

On Friday, Trump emphasized ongoing talks between the United States and Iran in an Oval Office appearance. The day prior, he had told Axios that he is "considering a massive attack. Bigger than ever before. I am close to making a decision."

When asked Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press" whether the U.S. has decided against ramping up attacks on Iran, Waltz said: "I wouldn't go that far at all." He said Trump is keeping "all options on the table."

"What the president is doing right now, as we've seen all along, is giving some talks some space," Waltz said, adding that discussions are ongoing "on every level," both technical talks and between governments.

Waltz pushed back on reports that the decision to back away from escalation was driven in part by concerns within the Trump administration about depleted U.S. munitions.

"The U.S. military, and I've verified this every which way, has everything that it needs to conduct this campaign" effectively, he said.

Though the Pentagon has dismissed concerns about U.S. stockpiles, Pentagon officials have expressed far greater anxiety in private, according to current and former officials, arguing that the military desperately needs more money to replenish munitions, including to deter China and Russia.

Waltz said one diplomatic challenge in negotiations is that those on the Iranian side are "divided." He said that "there's internal fighting," with some seeking guidance from the supreme leader and others who "want to move in a different direction."

Still, the ambassador warned that Iran should "take the president very seriously. ... The U.S. military is locked and loaded. In fact, more assets have gone into the region."

Despite the pause in U.S. strikes, the conflict with Iran has widened amid new turmoil in the Red Sea. Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels asserted responsibility for strikes Saturday on oil facilities belonging to the Saudi state oil company, Aramco, in the Red Sea towns of Yanbu and Jazan.

The Houthi strikes could add to the pressure on global oil markets, which are already under severe strain amid disruptions caused by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

On Sunday, Iranian state-affiliated media reported that an oil tanker exploded after hitting a mine in the strait.

In a separate incident, Iran's Foreign Ministry accused Ukraine of attacking a commercial Iranian vessel in the Caspian Sea on Saturday and killing a sailor.