President Trump has moved into an apparent holding pattern after his latest diplomatic retreat in the stalemate with Iran, trying to find an off-ramp to the war that would allow him to claim victory.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s recent statements of intent about his administration’s plans for Iran — some laced with profanity, some threatening deeply destructive, nation-shattering actions — have raised questions about international law.

NPR's Scott Simon speaks to James Kraska - a professor of international maritime law at the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island - about the legality of the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports.

President Donald Trump pulled back from his threats to destroy Iranian civilization, Tehran celebrated what it framed as a victory and markets soared on news that the Strait of Hormuz could reopen. But the exact terms of the Iran war ceasefire deal ...

The standoff between the U.S. and Iran has reached a strange, contradictory stage. President Donald Trump extended the ceasefire with Iran while keeping the blockade in place, even as Vice President JD Vance’s planned trip to Islamabad was postponed and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard fired on two vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

The US is waiting on whether Iran will take part in a second round of talks before a ceasefire expires on Wednesday, with the sides deadlocked on how to end a war that’s engulfed the Middle East and triggered a growing energy crisis.

Iran hasn’t yet sent a delegation to Pakistan for peace talks with the U.S., Iranian state TV reported, adding to uncertainty over whether the talks will happen. Iran has told regional mediators that it would send a negotiating team to Islamabad on Tuesday,