Trump ends Iran truce; talks to go on

INTERNATIONAL-ASIA

9 JULY 2026

• The ceasefire between the United States and Iran is “over”, U.S. President Donald Trump said, while leaving the door open for more talks, after the two sides exchanged fire amid a dispute over the status of the Strait of Hormuz.
• Iran said the U.S. “violations” have rendered parts of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the two countries “ineffective”.
• “As far as I am concerned, it is over,” Mr. Trump said at a NATO summit in Ankara, Turkiye, when asked about the ceasefire. “It is just a waste of time dealing with them,” he added. “I will let our wonderful negotiators keep talking if they want, but I do not see it. I do not like these people.” He added that the U.S. would hit Iran again on Wednesday night. “We’re gonna hit ‘em hard tonight,” he said, adding: “They violate the agreement every day.”
• His remarks came after Iran claimed that it targeted 85 U.S. military assets in the Persian Gulf following U.S. air strikes on “several monitoring and surveillance centres” on Iran’s southern coast.
• The U.S. strikes killed eight military personnel, Iranian state television said.
• This is the second time the U.S. and Iran have exchanged fire since they signed the MoU on June 17, promising to extend the ceasefire and begin talks for a final settlement.

Control of Strait of Hormuz

• At the core of the escalation lies the question of who controls the Strait of Hormuz.
• The MoU calls for the safe passage of tankers through the strait.
• Iran has opened a route along its coast and asked vessels to use a “designated route” along its coast in coordination with local authorities.
• In early July 2026, three ships passing through an alternative route along the Omani coast — Marshall Islands-flagged M/T Al Rekayyat, Saudi Arabia-flagged M/T Wedyan, and Liberian-flagged M/T Cyprus Prosperity — were attacked.
• Following attack on the three tankers, the U.S. revoked a sanctions waiver it had issued after the MoU was signed that had allowed the sale of Iranian oil. The air strikes followed.