The US military halted strikes against Iran as Oman and Qatar pursue a diplomatic pause to hostilities in the Middle East. 

US Central Command (CENTCOM) did not announce military operations against Iran, ending 13 consecutive days of attacks against Iranian targets. President Donald Trump directed the US military not to conduct new strikes on Friday, Axios reported, citing two sources with knowledge of the decision. 

"Iran had a peaceful night,” Iranian Health Ministry spokesperson Hossein Kermanpour posted on X.

The pause in strikes comes as the Trump administration gives regional efforts to reach a ceasefire a chance to work. Iranian officials have confirmed to Al Jazeera that the US and Iran are exchanging messages. 

“They’d love to make a deal,” Trump said on Friday night. “I don’t think they’re ready to … but I’m willing to listen.”

A delegation from Oman arrived in Tehran on Friday to discuss options to reopen shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. The Omani diplomats met with their Iranian counterparts to discuss mechanisms governing navigation through the strait, Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported. 

The New York Times reported on Thursday that Tehran has rejected three US-backed ceasefire proposals this week, delivered through Qatar, Iraq, and Pakistan.

Iran Stops Four Vessels

The strait has been at the center of the conflict. Iran has, in recent weeks, hit tankers using a route hugging the Omani coast to traverse the strait. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Saturday that their forces stopped four ships attempting to transit the strategic waterway over the past 24 hours.

“Four vessels that had intended to transit through the southern area of the Strait of Hormuz via an illegal and unsafe route were stopped over the past 24 hours after warning shots were fired by the IRGC Navy,” the Guards said in a statement quoted by state television, adding that the ships had “altered course.”

The US military said it had disabled an oil tanker after it attempted to breach the US-imposed blockade on Iranian ports. Navy Capt. Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for US Central Command (CENTCOM), said the tanker was disabled after its crew attempted to breach the blockade at least four times despite repeated warnings.

“The crew was repeatedly warned, didn’t comply, and US forces on scene disabled the ship after firing into its engine room,” Hawkins said.

Tensions Remain Acute

Tensions in the strait remain acute despite the pause in US attacks against Iran. Traffic through Hormuz fell to just six confirmed crossings, down 60% day-on-day, Kpler, the shipping analytics company,  said on Friday.

The broader confrontation has remained active beyond the strait. Iran claimed fresh strikes on US assets across the region. 

A spokesman for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Saturday that Iranian attacks destroyed US aircraft on the ground at bases throughout the region.

"Furthermore, 17 reconnaissance and operational drones, one F-15 fighter jet inside a hangar, one P-8 aircraft, one C-17 transport aircraft and eight refuelling aircraft were also destroyed", the spokesman said in a statement published by Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency. 

The IRGC statement did not specify which bases were hit or where the reported aircraft were located. The US military has not confirmed the IRGC’s account, and no independent verification was immediately available.