Why have US-Iran strikes resumed and what does it mean for peace?

The United States launched dozens of strikes connected Iran aboriginal connected Wednesday successful what it said was retaliation for Tehran’s attacks connected commercialized ships successful the highly contested Strait of Hormuz, sparking wide fears of the renewal of all-out warfare successful the Middle East.

After the US attacks, President Donald Trump told reporters astatine a NATO acme successful Ankara, Turkiye, that helium thinks the memorandum of knowing (MoU) with Iran is “over”. While helium “might” let bid talks to proceed for now, helium said, helium believed they were a “waste of time”.

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Brent crude roseate 6 percent to $78 a barrel, portion European stocks fell 1.6 percent, pursuing his remarks. The dollar strengthened and authorities enslaved yields climbed, arsenic investors weighed the hazard of a renewed flare-up successful inflation.

The escalatory strikes connected Iran came arsenic bid talks were ongoing betwixt the 2 countries amid the days-long ceremonial of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed successful the aboriginal minutes of the US-Israel warfare connected Iran backmost successful February. They correspond the largest specified attacks since April, erstwhile some sides initially agreed to ceasefire talks.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had responded to the strikes by targeting US assets successful neighbouring countries arsenic sirens went disconnected successful Bahrain and Kuwait aboriginal connected Wednesday. One of its members was killed by “enemy drones”, the IRGC said.

Both sides person blamed each different for breaking earlier agreements outlined in the MoU, which initiated a 60-day bid dialog process 3 weeks ago. Wednesday marks the 3rd clip the US has launched large attacks connected Iran portion talks are ongoing, thing Tehran has said has caused spot to interruption down.

Here’s what we know:

Smoke rises astatine an chartless location, pursuing what CENTCOM called a caller question of US strikes against Iran aft 3 tankers were deed by projectiles successful the Strait of Hormuz, successful this inactive representation taken from video released connected July 8, 2026 [Handout/US Central Command via Reuters]

What has happened?

The US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) said it had launched strikes connected “over 80 targets” connected Tuesday, aboriginal connected Wednesday successful section time, successful Iran successful effect to the attacks connected commercialized vessels that were transiting the Strait of Hormuz hours before.

On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump told reporters successful Ankara, Turkiye, wherever helium is attending the NATO summit, “We attacked precise powerfully past night, the precise unsafe radical from Iran.”

“They’re sick, there’s thing incorrect with them,” helium added.

Iran, CENTCOM said, had attacked 3 vessels: the Marshall Islands-flagged M/T Al Rekayyat, Saudi Arabia-flagged M/T Wedyan, and Liberian-flagged M/T Cyprus Prosperity, which are thought to person been sailing adjacent to the seashore of Oman.

Iran has directed each shipping to travel its representation for a “safe route” done the strait, which takes ships overmuch person to its ain seashore and marks a conception of Omani territorial waters arsenic a “restricted zone”. Local tv reported that the ships had ignored warnings to alteration absorption from Iranian forces.

In effect to the shots fired astatine tankers, CENTCOM said successful a statement: “US forces struck Iranian aerial defence systems, bid and power networks, coastal radar sites, anti-ship rocket capabilities, and much than 60 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps tiny boats successful and adjacent the strait to degrade Iran’s quality to proceed attacking planetary commerce flowing done the planetary commercialized corridor.”

The US besides revoked a sanctions waiver connected Iran successful effect to the strikes connected tankers successful the strait.

CENTCOM besides warned that much strikes were imminent if Iran continued to enactment “outside of agreements”. The MoU stipulates that Iran volition let escaped transition done the strait for astatine slightest 60 days portion bid talks continue.

Hossein Royvaran, a Tehran-based analyst, told Al Jazeera connected Tuesday that tankers whitethorn person been targeted due to the fact that they strayed into an country wherever Iranian teams were performing mine-clearing operations.

“The country adjacent Oman is apt afloat of mines,” said Royvaran.

“There is simply a anticipation that these ships are headed successful directions wherever Iranian teams successful that country are clearing mines, and the ships’ question mightiness person threatened those teams.”

The strikes came hours earlier Trump departed for the NATO summit.

Which locations successful Iran person been deed successful strikes?

Iranian media reported respective explosions successful the confederate larboard metropolis of Sirik, wherever projectiles were said to person deed commercialized and sportfishing piers. Several radical were injured by shrapnel, but the fig of casualties is not yet clear.

Strikes were besides reported connected the strategically important Qeshm Island successful the Strait of Hormuz and areas adjacent the larboard metropolis of Bandar Abbas, 1 of the ports the US Navy was blockading earlier the MoU was signed.

Two subject bases successful Iran’s confederate Bushehr state were deed by force projectiles, a information lawman to the province’s politician said, according to Iran’s semi-official Fars quality bureau connected Wednesday.

One basal was struck successful Dashti region and different adjacent the municipality of Chogadak, some successful Bushehr province, aboriginal successful the morning, the authoritative said.

No deaths oregon injuries person been reported truthful acold arsenic a effect of the attacks, Fars said.

Mourners situation the convoy carrying the coffin of Iran’s slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a ceremonial procession successful Najaf, Iraq, connected July 8, 2026 [Murtaja Lateef/AFP]

What different enactment has the US taken?

The US has reimposed sanctions connected Iranian oil, according to a precocious Tuesday connection from the Department of the Treasury. During the war, Trump temporarily waived sanctions connected cargoes of lipid already astatine oversea to easiness the vigor situation arising from the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

It granted Iran a 60-day afloat waiver, allowing Tehran to merchantability crude lipid amid the ongoing bid talks arsenic portion of the MoU signed connected June 17. That waiver had been acceptable to expire connected August 21.

Now, the reimposed sanctions instrumentality effect from July 7 for caller lipid sales. However, determination volition beryllium a grace play for ongoing, shipped income made earlier July 7, the US Treasury said, with the wealth from those income placed successful a “blocked, interest-bearing account”.

Reporting from Tehran for Al Jazeera, Resul Serdar Atas said the caller sanctions would person a immense interaction connected the Iranian economy.

“For Iran, astir the lone lifeline to prolong the system is the lipid and petrochemical exports, and that’s what the MoU was about. It gave Iran an inducement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and successful instrumentality lifted the sanctions connected Iran’s lipid and petrochemical products.”

How has Iran responded?

On Wednesday, the IRGC said it had launched retaliatory strikes connected 85 US subject targets successful Bahrain and Kuwait, arsenic sirens sounded successful some countries.

The IRGC said it “destroyed 85 large US subject installations successful Port Salman, [the US] Fifth Naval Base successful Bahrain, and Kuwait’s Ali Salem Airbase, and changeable down an force MQ9 drone that attempted to interfere successful the operation”.

Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs powerfully condemned the “aggressive attacks and gross violation” of the MoU by the US.

“The violent US military, successful wide usurpation of Article 2, Paragraph 4 of the United Nations Charter, committed subject aggression against respective monitoring and surveillance centres connected the confederate coasts of Iran,” the ministry said successful the aboriginal hours of Wednesday, noting that these strikes “constitute a flagrant usurpation of Paragraph 1 of the Memorandum of Understanding connected the Termination of War, which mandates the cessation of subject operations”.

The connection besides highlighted “the planetary ineligible work of each governments, peculiarly neighbouring countries located connected the confederate seashore of the Persian Gulf, to forestall aggressor parties from utilising their territory and facilities to behaviour assertive acts against the Islamic Republic of Iran”.

It added that Iran’s equipped forces “will not hesitate successful defending Iran’s territorial integrity, nationalist sovereignty, and nationalist information against US subject aggression successful accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter, and volition people the root and root of the aggression”.

In a station connected X, Parliament Speaker and pb negotiator Mohammad Ghalibaf said the strikes connected Iran, the reimposition of sanctions and continued Israeli attacks connected Lebanon each correspond “major MOU violations by the US”.

“The epoch of bullying and extortion is over. It leads nowhere. We don’t fold,” helium said.

In a Telegram connection connected Wednesday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the US strikes had “rendered key, cardinal elements of the war-ending statement ineffective”.

“The US regime, having reneged connected its commitments, bears work for the unsafe consequences of this escalation,” helium said.

What is happening with the bid talks?

They person been thrown into uncertainty.

Trump told reporters astatine the NATO acme that helium thinks the MoU with Iran was “over”. He added that “I mightiness fto my fantastic negotiators support talking”, but said helium personally believed it to beryllium a “waste of time”.

Al Jazeera’s defence editor, James Bays, highlighted the uncertainty arising from Trump’s remarks. “So, is this conscionable pugnacious speech from Trump, trying to enactment a enactment down and say, ‘this is unacceptable and I’ve shown you my response’? Or does this mean helium is truly tearing up the Memorandum of Understanding that was agreed connected astir 3 weeks ago?”

The 60-day MoU halted each fighting, including successful Lebanon, arsenic some sides worked to robust retired details of Iran’s atomic programme. The statement required Iran to reinstate the transition of commercialized vessels successful the Strait of Hormuz to pre-war levels, portion the US issued a waiver connected sanctioned lipid exports and unfroze Iranian assets.

How person different countries and organisations responded?

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte powerfully backed the US actions, saying the effect from Washington was warranted pursuing Iran’s attacks connected commercialized vessels.

“I deliberation it was perfectly necessary,” helium told reporters successful Ankara, amid the NATO summit, accusing Iran of violating the ceasefire.

Jassem Mohamed Albudaiwi , Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), condemned Iranian attacks connected Bahrain and Kuwait, describing them arsenic a flagrant usurpation of the 2 countries’ sovereignty and a continuation of Tehran’s efforts to undermine determination bid efforts.

“The attacks corroborate Iran’s continued attack aimed astatine undermining planetary and determination efforts to found information and bid and resoluteness the crisis,” Albudaiwi said.

Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry besides condemned strikes connected US subject assets connected its territory “in the strongest terms, the repeated sinful Iranian attacks connected the State of Kuwait, the latest of which occurred this morning”.

In a statement, the ministry denounced the incidental arsenic “a flagrant usurpation of its sovereignty, a nonstop menace to its security, stability, and the information of its citizens”, arsenic good arsenic “a sedate usurpation of the rules of planetary law, the United Nations Charter, and Security Council Resolution 2817”.

Oman’s Foreign Ministry released a connection condemning Iran’s attacks connected sites successful Bahrain and Kuwait arsenic good arsenic connected ships successful the Strait of Hormuz.

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry besides powerfully condemned Iranian attacks connected Bahrain and Kuwait, which it said it considered a blatant usurpation of the sovereignty of some countries and a flagrant breach of planetary law.

In a station connected X, the ministry stressed the request to spare the portion the consequences of what it described arsenic the unjustified attacks, to proceed the way of dialog and diplomacy, and to de-escalate tensions.

The Iranian attacks amusement Tehran remains incapable of committing to the requirements of de-escalation and “turning the leafage connected war”, elder UAE diplomat Anwar Gargash said.

“The Gulf Arab states cannot stay a people for Iran’s wavering betwixt the logic of escalation and the way of rationality, stableness and peace,” Gargash, a diplomatic advisor to the UAE president, wrote successful a station connected X connected Wednesday.

Egypt besides powerfully condemned Iran’s repeated attacks connected Kuwait, Bahrain and different Gulf states, describing them arsenic a flagrant usurpation of sovereignty and an unacceptable escalation that threatens determination stability.

In a Foreign Ministry connection issued connected Wednesday, Cairo said it rejected each actions that infringe connected the information of chap Arab states and called for restraint and de-escalation to sphere bid successful the region.

So what happens next?

Muhanad Seloom of the Doha Institute of Graduate Studies told Al Jazeera that the US appeared to beryllium signalling that its attacks were limited, and the MoU was technically on. However, Trump’s comments astatine the NATO acme person present thrown this into doubt.

“If the US wanted to usage unit successful a antithetic way, they would beryllium choosing antithetic targets,” helium said.

Iran apt launched attacks connected commercialized ships to provoke the US astatine a delicate clip for some countries, Harlan Ullman, a retired elder US naval officer, told Al Jazeera.

“My presumption is Iran is taunting the United States,” Ullman said. “Donald Trump has already criticised NATO for not participating successful its warfare successful Iran, has criticised NATO for not spending capable connected defence. And my conjecture is that Iran is trying to further the disagreement betwixt the United States and NATO by accentuating attacks now, believing that the United States volition beryllium constricted successful what it tin bash due to the fact that if it is seen to beryllium attacking the ceremonial processions that are going  passim the country.”

Iran, Ullman said, could besides beryllium stalling for much dialog clip earlier the August deadline. Ultimately, the expert added, “whether this is going to beryllium bid oregon war, my conjecture is that some sides volition privation to de-escalate”.