US President Donald Trump on Monday voiced optimism at the prospects for a negotiated peace deal with Iran, as the two sides held their fire for a third consecutive day. Fighting between the longtime foes has been paused since early Saturday after 13 nights of renewed US strikes on the Islamic republic sparked by a breakdown in diplomacy over Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

The United States and Iran paused hostilities for a third night on Sunday as they looked to give peace talks another chance.

There had been 13 consecutive nights of US strikes on Iran, which the US military said aimed to "degrade Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz."

President Trump stated that Washington is currently engaged in productive discussions with Iran. He expressed optimism regarding potential progress in these ongoing negotiations.…