{"id":53,"date":"2026-07-08T05:07:25","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T05:07:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/affairs360.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/08\/u-s-and-iran-trade-fresh-strikes-as-trump-says-ceasefire-over-but-talks-can-continue\/"},"modified":"2026-07-08T05:07:25","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T05:07:25","slug":"u-s-and-iran-trade-fresh-strikes-as-trump-says-ceasefire-over-but-talks-can-continue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/affairs360.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/08\/u-s-and-iran-trade-fresh-strikes-as-trump-says-ceasefire-over-but-talks-can-continue\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S. and Iran trade fresh strikes as Trump says ceasefire \u2018over,’ but talks can continue"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
<\/div>\n

Iran targeted American military sites in the Gulf on Wednesday after the U.S. launched strikes on several places in Iran and reinstated sanctions on its oil sales. Washington said it was responding to Iranian attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n

The crossfire raised fears that the war in Iran<\/a> could reignite, and President Donald Trump fueled those concerns by saying that the interim agreement to pause fighting was \u201cover,\u201d although he added that he would allow negotiations to continue.<\/p>\n

Attacks have repeatedly threatened the shaky ceasefire, but Trump’s comments add new uncertainty, and oil prices shot up after he spoke. A renewed conflict could engulf the wider Middle East and would likely again halt energy shipments through the strait that are crucial to the global economy.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, I think it\u2019s over,\u201d Trump responded when asked about the status of the ceasefire. He added that U.S. representatives can continue negotiations, but he cast doubt on the outcome. \u201cThey can talk, but I think they\u2019re wasting their time,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Negotiations to reach a final deal had been due to start after the dayslong funeral for Iran\u2019s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei<\/a>, who was killed Feb. 28 in the war\u2019s first moments. The funeral, which ends Thursday, was supposed to be a period of lower tensions.<\/p>\n

The talks are meant to focus on the toughest matters, including fully reopening the strait<\/a> and rolling back Tehran\u2019s disputed nuclear program<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe era of bullying and extortion is over,\u201d Iran\u2019s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf wrote on X. \u201cIt leads nowhere. We don\u2019t fold.\u201d<\/p>\n

Overnight U.S. strikes target Iran<\/h2>\n

The U.S. military\u2019s Central Command said American forces launched strikes \u201cto impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway.\u201d<\/p>\n

It said it hit Iranian targets including air defense systems, radars and over 60 small boats used by Iran\u2019s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. <\/p>\n

Those boats have been key to threatening ships in the strait, through which a fifth of the world\u2019s traded oil and natural gas passed before the war. Iran\u2019s ability to bring shipping in the waterway to a near halt during the war proved its greatest strategic advantage as rising prices for energy supplies, fertilizer and food put pressure on the U.S. to make a deal. On Wednesday, the price of Brent crude, the international standard, spiked over 5% after Trump\u2019s comments. <\/p>\n

The U.S. military remains \u201cprepared to hold Iran accountable when the agreement is not adhered to or obeyed,\u201d it added, saying this round of attacks had ended.<\/p>\n

Iranian state media reported explosions in several locations, including in Bandar Mahshahr, where a Guard member was killed. It also reported attacks on Bushehr, home to Iran\u2019s nuclear power plant complex.<\/p>\n

On Wednesday morning, both Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy\u2019s 5th Fleet, and Kuwait, home to U.S. Army forces, sounded missile alerts. The Guard issued a statement acknowledging targeting U.S. military installations in both countries.<\/p>\n

A similar spate of Iranian attacks on shipping and U.S. retaliatory strikes occurred late last month \u2014 which similarly drew Iranian attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait. Wednesday\u2019s strikes came as Trump was in Turkey for a summit of the NATO military alliance.<\/p>\n

Anwar Gargash, a senior diplomat in the United Arab Emirates, called Iran\u2019s attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait \u201ca clear indicator that Tehran remains incapable of committing to the requirements of de-escalation and turning the page on war.\u201d<\/p>\n

U.S. revokes the license for the sale of Iranian oil<\/h2>\n

Before the strikes, the U.S. revoked a license that authorized the sale of Iranian oil as part of the interim deal. That paused U.S. sanctions and allowed Iran to conduct oil sales openly for U.S. dollars for the first time in years. Iran long had been suspected of selling sanctioned crude at below-market prices to China. <\/p>\n

The decision came after the strikes on shipping. One tanker was off the coast of Oman when it was hit and caught fire, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said. Iranian state television said the tanker came under attack after ignoring warnings but did not directly claim the assault.<\/p>\n

Majed al-Ansari, a spokesperson for the Qatari Foreign Ministry, said the tanker was carrying Qatari natural gas and called the strike an \u201cunacceptable attack\u201d on international navigation and global energy security. He said Qatar, which has been a key mediator alongside Pakistan in the talks, holds Iran \u201cfully legally responsible.\u201d<\/p>\n

The other two ships sustained some damage, but no one was injured, and both continued on their way, the U.K. agency said.<\/p>\n

Iran and the United States agreed as part of the interim deal to allow ships to pass through the strait without paying charges for 60 days. But Tehran has insisted it must control the vessels\u2019 routes and vowed to later charge fees for passage. That would upend decades of practice in the waterway. The ships attacked Tuesday all appeared to be using a route close to Oman\u2019s shore, rather than one ordered by Tehran.<\/p>\n

The U.S. and many Gulf Arab states say they will not agree to Iran charging for passage through the strait.<\/p>\n

Mourners attend Khamenei’s funeral services in Iraq<\/h2>\n

Funeral ceremonies for Khamenei were held Wednesday in the Iraqi city of Najaf. Attending the services are Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and other Iranian as well as Iraqi officials, including Prime Minister Ali Falah al-Zaidi. There will be funeral prayers later at the Imam Hussein shrine in Karbala as well. <\/p>\n

Khamenei\u2019s son, Iran\u2019s new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, has yet to make an appearance at the ceremonies, which began Saturday in Tehran. He is believed to be in hiding after reportedly being wounded in the airstrike that killed his father.<\/p>\n

Khamenei\u2019s body will then be returned to Iran to be buried Thursday at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, his birthplace.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

Kim reported from Ankara, Turkey. Associated Press writers Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran; Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Najaf, Iraq; and Collin Binkley in Washington contributed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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