The U.S. and Iran paused their attacks for a second straight day Sunday as both sides reportedly look to return to the negotiating table for a binding resolution to ongoing warfare roiling the Middle East. It is not clear who instigated the cessation in hostilities that engulfed Iranian coastal areas and infrastructure – civil and military – in a nearly two-week escalation sparked by Iran’s firing at ships trying to transit the contested waters of the Strait of Hormuz. The Pentagon did not respond to questions about the nature of the pause or how long it will last, AP reports, although markets have reacted with the price of oil sinking more than nine percent Monday on hopes peace is at hand.
