Fire and smoke rise from what U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) says shows M/T Kylo in a location given as the Gulf of Oman during strikes on Iranian oil carriers, in this screengrab taken from a handout video released. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters

File photo for representational purposes only.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth shared the image of the surveillance tower appearing to collapse. Credit: X/@PeteHegseth

A screengrab from a video obtained from social media on July 15 shows what U.S. Central Command say was a U.S. strike on Iran. Credit: X/U.S. Central Command

U.S. President Donald Trump, who is in Ankara to attend a NATO summit, said on Wednesday (July 8, 2026) that the ceasefire with Iran was “over”. His remarks came after tit-for-tat overnight strikes by the U.S. and Iran that threatened the already fragile ceasefire.

The U.S. launched dozens of strikes on Iran in retaliation for what it said were Iranian attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, and reimposed sanctions on the trade of Iranian oil. In response, Iran targeted multiple U.S. bases and military assets in Bahrain and Kuwait. It also claimed to have shot down an American MQ-9 drone.

West Asia War LIVE updates – July 8, 2026

Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s Parliament Speaker and top negotiator, accused the U.S. of violating the memorandum of understanding (MoU). “The era of bullying and extortion is over… we don’t fold,” he wrote in a social post.

The current crisis has become the biggest stress test for the MoU, signed by the U.S. and Iran on June 17.

When the MoU was reached, it was seen as a preliminary agreement that paved the way for serious negotiations between the U.S. and Iran on outstanding issues such as Iran’s nuclear programme and western sanctions on the country.

In the MoU, Iran promised to allow safe passage of tankers through the Strait of Hormuz and never to make a nuclear bomb, while the U.S. agreed to lift its maritime blockade, ease sanctions and allow Iran to access some of its frozen funds. But there were two major hurdles in the implementation of the MoU from the start. One was the war in Lebanon and the other was the status of the Strait of Hormuz.

The war in Lebanon

Article 1 of the MoU clearly states the ceasefire covers Lebanon, where Israel has been carrying out a bombing campaign in the name of fighting Hezbollah. Israel has also carved up Lebanese territory in the south, calling it a “security zone”. The MoU also calls for respecting Lebanon’s “sovereignty and territorial integrity”— an indirect call for Israeli troops to withdraw from Lebanon. But Israel has ruled out withdrawal. Hezbollah, an Iran-affiliated Shia militia, says it would continue to fight Israeli troops as long as they stay in Lebanon. And Israel is continuing its bombing of Lebanon, despite several ceasefire announcements, citing Hezbollah attacks.

From Iran’s point of view, the first clause of the MoU is being violated from the very beginning as there is no ceasefire in Lebanon. On June 26, the U.S., Israel and the Lebanese government announced a trilateral framework linking Israeli withdrawal to the disarmament of Hezbollah. Iran again saw this as a joint U.S.-Israeli attempt to undermine the MoU.

Though talks between the U.S. and Iran based on the MoU framework began in Geneva, there was no breakthrough. Mr. Trump’s occasional threats against Iran further deteriorated the already tense situation.

Iran’s fear was that the U.S. was using the MoU to replenish global oil markets, as Vice-President J.D. Vance once mentioned in an interview, and take away Tehran’s leverage over the Strait of Hormuz. This probably prompted Iran to take a firmer line towards the strait.

Hormuz | The strait where America stalled 

Status of the strait

Under Article 5 of the MoU, Iran promised to “make arrangements” for the “safe passage of commercial vessels, with no charge for 60 days only from the Persian Gulf to the Sea of Oman and vice versa”. It also says that Iran will conduct talks with Oman “to define the future administration and maritime services in the Strait of Hormuz, in discussions with other Persian Gulf littoral states”.

The agreement doesn’t say passage would be free of charges forever. Iran opened a new route, along its coast, for tankers to enter and exit the Persian Gulf through the Strait. Another route has been opened along Oman’s coast, a move Iran fears would take away its leverage over the waterway.

While Iran insists that tankers take its designated route out of the strait, the U.S. and some Gulf countries encourage them to take the Oman route.

Over the weekend, three ships passing through the Omani route were attacked. Iran, which is currently holding funeral ceremonies for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader who was assassinated by the U.S. and Israel on February 28, did not officially claim responsibility. But the U.S. blamed Iran and launched strikes on the country.

When Iran attacked tankers taking the Omani route last month, the U.S. had carried out a similar strike and Iran had retaliated. But after two rounds of tit-for-tat strikes, Mr. Trump halted further attacks and announced that talks would continue. But Iran has not held direct talks with the U.S. ever since.

This time, the U.S. took another step to punish Iran by revoking the sanctions waiver it announced after the MoU was signed.

New normal

At this point, Iran seems determined not to give up its control of the Strait of Hormuz, no matter how much military and economic pressure the U.S. applies. By striking U.S. military assets across two Gulf countries, Iran sent a clear message to the U.S.: it is ready for escalation.

This leaves Mr. Trump in a difficult position. Controlled military pressure is failing to persuade Iran to restore the status quo ante in the Strait of Hormuz. If he returns to full-scale war, the diplomatic process would be undermined. If the diplomatic process is undermined, Iran’s nuclear programme would remain unresolved. And there is no guarantee that another full-scale air campaign would resolve the nuclear programme.

The second option he has is to stay engaged in indirect talks, not letting the current skirmishes undermine the MoU. But then, Mr. Trump will have to accept the new status quo in the Strait of Hormuz.

Published – July 08, 2026 05:46 pm IST

U.S. forces launched strikes on Iran on Tuesday (July 7, 2026) after three commercial vessels were attacked in the Strait of Hormuz, the US military said, sharply escalating a confrontation that has already shaken efforts to end the West Asia war.

U.S. Central Command said the “powerful” strikes were in response to Iranian attacks on ships transiting the vital waterway and would “impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping.”

Iranian state media reported numerous explosions around the strait, including six on the island of Qeshm, seven in the city of Sirik and more in the major port city of Bandar Abbas.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry accused the United States of repeatedly violating the memorandum of understanding agreed between the two sides and threatened retaliation.

“Iran is issuing a serious warning about the consequences of America’s breach of the treaty, and will take decisive measures to protect its interests and national security,” the Ministry said in a statement carried by official media.

The strikes came shortly after Washington revoked a temporary sanctions waiver for Iranian oil, raising pressure on Tehran as it negotiates with the US over a final settlement to the conflict.

The U.S. Treasury Department canceled a license announced in June that had allowed Iran to produce, sell and deliver crude oil and related products through August 21.

“Iran’s actions in the Strait were wholly unacceptable to the United States and will be met with consequences,” a U.S. official told AFP.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the US-Iran memorandum of understanding was “entirely performance-based,” warning that Tehran would see benefits only if it showed “good behavior.”

But U.S. negotiators were continuing to work “in good faith towards a final deal,” the official said.

British maritime security agency UKMTO said an “unknown projectile” hit a tanker overnight, causing a fire, before two more vessels were struck, at least one by a drone.

All three vessels were struck close to Oman, which had proposed a temporary transit corridor hugging its coastline — an initiative opposed by Iran as it seeks to impose fees on ships using the narrow waterway.

Qatar said one of the vessels was its LNG tanker Al-Rekayyat and blamed Iran, denouncing an “unacceptable” attack on international maritime navigation.

Doha later summoned Iran’s deputy ambassador to lodge a complaint, demanding an explanation and urging Tehran to “immediately cease any practices undermining regional security.”

“We hold Iran fully legally responsible for this attack and for any resulting damages or repercussions,” Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari wrote on X.

Iran voiced “dismay” over Qatar’s accusations in a statement carried by state news agency IRNA, calling the claims “unacceptable.”

Hormuz dispute

The attacks, which ended more than a week of relative calm, revived concerns over freedom of navigation after Iran lifted its blockade of the vital waterway following a fragile ceasefire with the U.S.

Oil prices rose by more than two percent as the renewed attacks reignited worries over global energy supplies and cast doubt on the durability of the U.S.-Iran agreement.

“We are now in a sensitive period where potential alternatives to an Iranian toll or fee system are being explored,” Andreas Krieg, a security expert at King’s College London, told AFP.

“Iran is sending a clear signal that no alternative will be accepted.”

Krieg said tankers trying to diverge through the Omani maritime corridor without registering with Iran would be punished, and called the attacks a “clear violation” of the ceasefire agreement and international law.

Maritime traffic had tentatively resumed after Washington and Tehran signed the memorandum last month, but Iran has insisted there will be no return to pre-war arrangements, under which vessels could pass freely through the strait.

Under the 14-point U.S.-Iran memorandum, Iran and Oman, which border Hormuz, must hold talks “to define the future administration and maritime services” in the waterway with other Gulf states.

Qatar had previously refused to mediate under Iranian fire as Tehran launched an unprecedented aerial bombardment against Gulf states in retaliation for the U.S.-Israeli strikes.

But Doha has since taken a more active role, hosting indirect talks between Iran and the U.S. last week.

Published – July 08, 2026 04:48 am IST

Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio appear to be staking out differing approaches to carrying out President Donald Trump’s national security agenda as the possible 2028 Presidential rivals jostle for position in a divided Republican Party.

With vastly different backgrounds and policy experience, they have moved along separate paths to stake out territory: Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants with a long history in the Senate and major interest in Latin America, and Mr. Vance, a child of the Midwest and Marine Corps veteran who served in the Senate for only two years before being tapped as Trump’s 2024 running mate, with a message of opposing foreign wars.

While deferential to each other — and with the White House and State Department denying any suggestion of a rift — Mr. Vance and Mr. Rubio appear the most divergent on West Asia. 

In discussing Iran, Mr. Vance has several times been critical of Israel and its actions in Lebanon, saying Mr. Trump has been frustrated by Israeli actions against the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah that have angered Iran and made negotiations with Tehran more difficult.

Mr. Rubio, meanwhile, has remained supportive of Israel or held his tongue, particularly over the situation in Lebanon — an issue he has taken the lead on and resulted in a preliminary framework agreement last week.

-AP

u.s. President Donald Trump waves as he walks into the North Portico at the White House, on June 27, 2026, in Washington.
| Photo Credit: AP

Image used for representational purposes only. File
| Photo Credit: AP