U.S. pauses strikes on Iranian targets for a second day

The White House paused strikes on Iranian targets for a second straight day Sunday, creating space for diplomatic efforts even as the U.S. maintains its blockade on Iranian ports.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said military action against Iran remains a possibility for the White House and that Mr. Trump is keeping all options on the table. Mr. Waltz made the remarks Sunday on NBC's 'Meet the Press.' 'What the president is doing right now, as we've seen all along, is giving the talks some space,' Mr. Waltz said. 'Talks are ongoing. They're happening at every level, from the more technical aspects of it all the way to the highest levels.'

Mr. Waltz pushed back on reports that the U.S. stockpile of military hardware and munitions is running dry. Any claims that the U.S. does not have enough firepower in the Middle East were 'nonsense,' Mr. Waltz said on CBS News' 'Face the Nation.' 'Not only do we have what we need in the theater, there are more [weapons and munitions] moving into the theater,' he said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he supported President Trump's attempts to find a peaceful solution to the conflict... 'If he can do so without returning to intense military fighting, that's fine,' Mr. Netanyahu said Sunday on Fox News' 'Sunday Morning Futures.' 'But one way or the other, they have to end their nuclear program. With a deal or without a deal, that has to come to an end.'

Sen. Mark Kelly, Democrat of Arizona, said the White House is failing in Iran because the Trump administration began the mission without a strategic goal. 'At first ... this was about regime change. Then it became about nuclear weapons, then about ballistic missiles, then about the [Iranian] navy,' Mr. Kelly said Sunday on 'Meet the Press.' 'This thing has been a disaster. It's been a disaster for the American people.'

Iranian Foreign Ministry officials said Iran and Oman held several rounds of 'technical and political consultations' in Tehran on Friday and Saturday.