DUBAI, U.A.E.: On July 27, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Iraq all reported drone attacks, just two days after the United States suddenly stopped a two-week campaign of air strikes against Iran.

The situation suggested that Iran may have been testing the latest change in strategy by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Saudi Arabia said it had shot down several drones that were targeting oil facilities. Some of these drones were aimed at sites in the eastern part of the country, while others were heading towards the capital, Riyadh. Saudi officials said the drones had been launched from Iraq by militia groups supported by Iran. They added that the country reserved the right to respond.

At the same time, the Houthi group in Yemen, which is allied with Iran, said it had carried out attacks on routes used to transport oil to Saudi Arabia's main Red Sea port of Yanbu. The group said this was in response to what it described as Saudi drone operations inside Yemeni airspace.

Earlier in the day, Jordan said it had shot down two drones. In Iraq, security sources reported several drone attacks on camps in the north of the country where Iranian Kurdish opposition groups are based. Officials did not say who launched those drones.

Iran had said it would pause its own attacks as long as the ceasefire announced by Trump remained in place. However, Iran also said it still controlled the Strait of Hormuz and was not planning to restart peace talks with the United States.

Trump's decision to stop the air strikes came without warning. The campaign had lasted for 13 consecutive nights and had become more intense over time. Iran had responded during that period by attacking U.S. military bases.

After the U.S. halted the campaign, oil prices dropped sharply. The price of Brent crude, which had briefly gone above $100 per barrel the previous week for the first time since May, fell by about 6.5% on July 27 to just over $90. At one point, it dropped as low as $87.55.

Reports from U.S. officials and media said the decision to stop the strikes was based on military advice. Commanders had told the president that they were running out of targets. It was also reported that General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was concerned that supplies of air defense weapons were being used up.

The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, said Trump had paused the campaign to create an opportunity for negotiations. Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other officials claimed that Iran was eager to reach an agreement.

However, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, said in a televised press conference that Iran had not asked to restart talks with the United States. He said that communication between the two sides was still happening through intermediaries and that Iran had not given up on diplomacy. He also said that reports claiming Iran had requested negotiations with the U.S. were false and did not reflect Iran's position.

Iran: Still in Control of Hormuz

Iran also signaled that it remained in control of the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian state media reported that, according to an informed source, six ships had been turned back on the morning of July 27 after trying to pass through the strait without permission. The source also said that one of the ships had experienced an accident.

The same source said that the approved shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz was the one set by Iran. The source added that other routes were unsafe and could not be used to pass through the area.