Trump halted planned US strikes on Iran on Friday as Oman-mediated talks made progress toward a possible deal on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, Axios reported.

The US military did not carry out strikes in Iran overnight, the first such pause after 13 consecutive nights of attacks.

US President Donald Trump said Friday that Washington is in talks with Iran and has not yet decided whether to launch major new strikes, while warning that the US military is “locked and loaded” to escalate the campaign.

Bahrain and Kuwait secretly sent warplanes to strike military sites inside Iran in early July, marking their first direct retaliation against Tehran, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.

US President Donald Trump met top advisers Friday to consider intensifying military strikes on Iran, The New York Times reported, citing four people briefed on the discussions.

The European Union imposed new sanctions on five Iranian judges and a leading cyber-group figure over serious human rights violations.