Image for representation purposes only Iran said on Monday it remained in control of the Strait of Hormuz and had not sought to resume peace talks with the United States after President Donald Trump halted a two-week bombing campaign that U.S. military commanders reportedly believed had reached its limits. The pause in fighting eases immediate concerns over further military escalation in one of the world’s most important oil shipping routes. However, Tehran’s insistence that it still controls navigation through the Strait of Hormuz leaves uncertainty over commercial shipping and future U.S.-Iran negotiations. Trump halted the bombing campaign over the weekend after 13 straight nights of airstrikes that led Iran to launch retaliatory attacks on U.S. military bases. Iran said it would also suspend its attacks as long as the U.S. pause remains in place. A U.S. official told Reuters that senior military commanders advised Trump they were running out of targets. The official said Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine had also raised concerns that air defence weapons protecting U.S. bases in the region were being depleted. Several U.S. media outlets, including The New York Times, CNN and Axios, also reported that military and civilian advisers had recommended ending the campaign. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said on Sunday that Trump paused the bombing to allow room for negotiations. Iran, however, denied it had asked to restart talks with Washington. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told a televised news conference that reports claiming Iran had requested negotiations with the United States were “fabricated.” While messages continue to be exchanged through mediators and Iran has not abandoned diplomacy, he said seeking talks with Washington was “not in our DNA.” Tehran also sought to show that the U.S. bombing campaign had not changed its position on the Strait of Hormuz, one of the wor