\u201cThey are behaving very badly,\u201d he said of Iran, accusing the country of launching drones and a missile at ships.<\/p>\n
The latest exchange of fire raised fears that the\u00a0war in Iran<\/a>\u00a0could reignite, and Trump fueled those concerns by saying 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\u2019s comments added new uncertainty, and oil prices\u00a0shot up<\/a>\u00a0after 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 said 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\u00a0Supreme 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\u00a0fully reopening the strait<\/a>\u00a0and rolling back\u00a0Tehran\u2019s disputed nuclear program<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe era of bullying and extortion is over,\u201d Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf wrote on X. \u201cIt leads nowhere. We don\u2019t fold.\u201d<\/p>\n Mourners reach toward a truck carrying the coffin of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a funeral procession in Najaf, Iraq, Wednesday, July 8, 2026. (AP Photo\/Hadi Mizban)\n<\/p>\n An Iraqi Shiite soldier chants on the eve of funeral ceremonies for the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei outside the Imam Ali Shrine in Najaf, Iraq, Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (AP Photo\/Hadi Mizban)\n<\/p>\n A truck carrying the coffin of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei makes its way through mourners during a funeral procession in Najaf, Iraq, Wednesday, July 8, 2026. (AP Photo\/Hadi Mizban)\n<\/p>\n This is a locator map for the Gulf Cooperation Council member states: Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait and United Arab Emirates. (AP Photo)\n<\/p>\n Show Caption<\/p>\n 1 of 4<\/p>\n Mourners reach toward a truck carrying the coffin of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a funeral procession in Najaf, Iraq, Wednesday, July 8, 2026. (AP Photo\/Hadi Mizban)\n<\/p>\n Expand<\/a> 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. 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 Revolutionary 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 Revolutionary Guard issued a statement acknowledging targeting U.S. military installations in both countries.<\/p>\n Kuwait said it intercepted two ballistic missiles and 13 drones launched by Iran. The Kuwaiti Electricity Ministry said a number of lines were out of service after shrapnel fell on them.<\/p>\n A similar spate of Iranian attacks on shipping and U.S. retaliatory strikes occurred late last month, which similarly drew Iranian attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait. Wednesday\u2019s strikes came as Trump was in Turkey for a\u00a0summit of the NATO military alliance<\/a>.<\/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 US revokes the license for the sale of Iranian oil<\/p>\n Before the strikes, the U.S. had revoked a license that \u2014 for the first time in years \u2014 had allowed Iran to conduct oil sales openly in U.S. dollars, as part of the interim deal. Iran long had been suspected of selling sanctioned crude at below-market prices to China.<\/p>\n The revocation 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 Two other 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\u00a0as part of the interim deal<\/a>\u00a0to 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![\"Mourners](\"https:\/\/www.ocregister.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/APTOPIX_Iraq_Khamenei_Funeral_94_39_3ccc8a.jpg?w=620\")
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\nUS strikes target Iran<\/p>\n