{"id":34529,"date":"2026-07-08T23:11:19","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T03:11:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/u-s-iran-cease-fire-is-over-after-strikes-resume-in-strait-of-hormuz\/"},"modified":"2026-07-08T23:11:19","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T03:11:19","slug":"u-s-iran-cease-fire-is-over-after-strikes-resume-in-strait-of-hormuz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/u-s-iran-cease-fire-is-over-after-strikes-resume-in-strait-of-hormuz\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S.-Iran Cease-Fire Is ‘Over’ After Strikes Resume in Strait of Hormuz"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Welcome back to World Brief, where we\u2019re looking at renewed strikes between U.S.<\/strong> and Iranian<\/strong> forces, the winners and losers of the NATO<\/strong> leaders\u2019 summit, and the United States<\/strong> threatening to cut off trade with Spain<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s Over\u2019<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The U.S.-Iran cease-fire appears to be effectively dead.<\/p>\n

Just 21 days after U.S. and Iranian officials signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that halted active fighting, removed the U.S. naval blockade on Iran, and laid the groundwork for future nuclear talks, U.S. President Donald Trump told NATO leaders on Wednesday that the truce deal is done<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs far as I\u2019m concerned, it\u2019s over,\u201d Trump said, calling the Iranian regime \u201ccuckoo.\u201d Although the U.S. president said that peace talks would continue, he remained skeptical about their probability of success. \u201cThey can talk, but I think they\u2019re wasting their time,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n

On Tuesday, Iranian forces damaged<\/a> several oil and gas tankers traversing the Strait of Hormuz; these vessels appeared to be trying to use a route that avoided Iranian waters. Within hours, the U.S. military responded with more than 80 strikes<\/a> on Iranian air defense systems, command and control centers, coastal radar sites, and anti-ship missile capabilities, among other targets.<\/p>\n

The United States hit Iran \u201cvery hard last night,\u201d Trump said on Wednesday, and will \u201cprobably hit them hard again tonight.\u201d Hours later, the U.S. military announced<\/a> that it had begun \u201cconducting additional strikes against Iran to further degrade their ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trump also suggested on Wednesday that the United States could reimpose its naval blockade on Iran; more than 20 U.S. Navy warships are on patrol<\/a> in the Middle East, according to U.S. Central Command. The U.S. president warned that U.S. troops are \u201cnot attacking at the highest level\u201d yet but that he could order them to bomb critical civilian infrastructure, such as bridges, electric plants, and desalination facilities. And he threatened to \u201ctake over Kharg Island,\u201d a strategically vital island through which roughly 90 percent of Iran\u2019s crude exports flow.<\/p>\n

Tehran confirmed<\/a> on Wednesday that overnight strikes killed at least eight Iranian service members, marking the first military deaths from U.S. attacks that Iran has reported since the June cease-fire went into effect. Iran retaliated<\/a> by attacking U.S. military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait.<\/p>\n

Bouts of fighting have threatened the cease-fire before. Late last month, U.S. forces launched strikes on Iran in retaliation for Iranian attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, but the two sides managed to pull back from a return to full-scale war.<\/p>\n

This time could be different, though. \u201cI\u2019m not sure I want to make a deal with them,\u201d Trump said on Wednesday, referring to the Iranian regime. \u201cWe can play games, but I\u2019m not sure I want to make a deal,\u201d Trump continued. \u201cLet\u2019s just finish the job.\u201d<\/p>\n

Such threats have foreign leaders worried. United Nations chief Ant\u00f3nio Guterres<\/a> called for both countries on Wednesday to immediately de-escalate, arguing that \u201ca return to full-scale hostilities would have catastrophic consequences\u2014for the peoples of the region, for international peace and security, and for the global economy.\u201d Oil prices skyrocketed<\/a> on Wednesday in the wake of resumed hostilities, with Brent crude climbing more than 5 percent to more than $78 per barrel.<\/p>\n

Still, it is unclear to what extent fighting could resume and who will join the conflict. \u201cObviously, Iran is outside NATO territory,\u201d NATO chief Mark Rutte<\/a> said on Wednesday. \u201cThat doesn\u2019t mean NATO could never get involved.\u201d<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s Most Read<\/strong><\/h3>\n

What We\u2019re Following<\/strong><\/h3>\n

NATO summit, Day 2. <\/strong>Trump announced<\/a> on Wednesday that the United States will give Ukraine a license to manufacture Patriot air defense systems. The approval marks a significant victory for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has repeatedly called for more Patriots to help combat Russian missile and drone attacks. \u201cThis way, you can\u2019t complain that we\u2019re not giving them enough,\u201d Trump said during a news conference with Zelensky on the sidelines of the NATO summit.<\/p>\n

But having a license does not ensure effective air defense capabilities in the short term. Patriots are expensive, complex munitions that will take time to develop before they are ready for use. In the interim, Trump has ruled out<\/a> giving Ukraine more Patriots, citing a global shortage due to the Iran war. \u201cWe have Patriots, but we don\u2019t have that many,\u201d Trump said on Wednesday. \u201cWe need them for ourselves too.\u201d Outside of the United States, only Germany and Japan hold licenses to domestically produce Patriots.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Trump used the NATO summit on Wednesday to revisit demands<\/a> that the United States should control Greenland. The semiautonomous Danish territory is \u201cvery important\u201d for the United States, Trump said, adding, \u201cWe need it for protection of the world, not just the United States.\u201d He has previously argued that U.S. control is vital to countering Russian and Chinese influence; however, in January, he backed off on threats to seize the island after Rutte de-escalated tensions.<\/p>\n

In response to Trump\u2019s latest comments, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen<\/a> said her country is \u201cready to defend every inch of NATO, including our own territory\u201d in the event of an attack. She further called on NATO members to honor their mutual defense commitments, suggesting that member countries could go to war with the United States if Washington were to try to seize the island by force.<\/p>\n

Cutting off trade. <\/strong>Trump ordered<\/a> the United States on Wednesday to immediately halt all trade with NATO ally Spain. \u201cWe don\u2019t have to trade with them. I don\u2019t want to do any more trade with them,\u201d Trump told U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in front of reporters on Wednesday. \u201cDon\u2019t even talk to them. They\u2019re hopeless, bad people.\u201d<\/p>\n

The U.S. president went on to call Spain a \u201cterrible partner\u201d and a \u201cwasted cause,\u201d citing Madrid\u2019s failure to commit to NATO\u2019s minimum defense spending target of 5 percent of GDP by 2035 and its refusal to allow U.S. forces to launch strikes on Iran from Spanish bases. His statement came after Rutte tried to soothe<\/a> Trump\u2019s ire by stressing that Spain \u201cmade a huge step last year\u201d when it raised defense spending to 2 percent, though Rutte acknowledged that \u201cthere \u200bare still issues we have to solve.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is the second time that Trump has instructed Bessent to halt all trade with Spain. But as his first such command in March did not actually pause trade, experts suspect that this could also end up being an empty threat. Sure enough, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro S\u00e1nchez appeared to downplay<\/a> Trump\u2019s threat on Wednesday, saying that he had a \u201cvery cordial\u201d conversation with the U.S. president during the NATO summit.<\/p>\n

New friendships. <\/strong>Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney became the country\u2019s first leader in 26 years to visit Saudi Arabia when he arrived on Wednesday. The historic three-day trip is expected to focus on bolstering foreign investment as Ottawa considers establishing a free trade deal with Riyadh. \u201cI want to get the investment agreement done this year,\u201d Canadian International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu told Bloomberg<\/em><\/a> on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

Carney will meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to discuss cooperation in defense, critical minerals, energy, artificial intelligence, and agriculture, among other areas. Unlike former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whose repeated criticism of Saudi Arabia\u2019s poor human rights record soured bilateral relations, Carney is hoping to reset diplomatic ties<\/a> with the Gulf nation.<\/p>\n

Riyadh appears to be open to closer friendship. According to Sidhu, Saudi Arabia is \u201cvery, very interested\u201d in more collaboration, especially to counter shipping disruptions caused by the Iran war. \u201cThe supply chains are being choked off, and they\u2019re looking to Canada as a reliable partner,\u201d Sidhu said, noting that the kingdom is particularly interested in Canadian mining.<\/p>\n

Odds and Ends<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Archaeologists have discovered<\/a> a well-preserved Byzantine-era city in western Egypt\u2019s Dakhla Oasis, the country\u2019s Tourism and Antiquities Ministry announced on Saturday. According to archaeological mission chair Mahmoud Massoud, the unearthed area has evidence of bisecting streets, public squares, two watchtowers, and a basilica from the mid-fourth century. Hints of domestic life, such as bread ovens and local coins, were also discovered at the dig site. The Dakhla Oasis is one of Egypt\u2019s 34 locations<\/a> on UNESCO\u2019s \u201ctentative list,\u201d making it just steps away from becoming an official World Heritage Site.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Welcome back to World Brief, where we\u2019re looking at renewed strikes between U.S. and Iranian forces, the winners and losers of the NATO leaders\u2019 summit, and the United States threatening to cut off trade with Spain. \u2018It\u2019s Over\u2019 The U.S.-Iran cease-fire appears to be effectively dead. Just 21 days after U.S. and Iranian officials signed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":34530,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/TrumpIranNATO-GettyImages-2284500904.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11611],"tags":[2360,13848,20649,11612,20323,18016,11954,13033,7178,725,7241,13399,24579,11614,155],"class_list":["post-34529","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-spyballoon-global-news","tag-ceasefire","tag-homepage_regional_middle_east_africa","tag-hormuz","tag-iran","tag-iran-u-s","tag-missile-defense","tag-paywall-free","tag-post-to-buffer","tag-resume","tag-strait","tag-strikes","tag-u-s-military","tag-u-s-iran","tag-united-states","tag-war"],"rttpg_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/TrumpIranNATO-GettyImages-2284500904.jpg",0,0,false],"landscape":["https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/TrumpIranNATO-GettyImages-2284500904.jpg",0,0,false],"portraits":["https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/TrumpIranNATO-GettyImages-2284500904.jpg",0,0,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/TrumpIranNATO-GettyImages-2284500904.jpg",150,150,false],"medium":["https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/TrumpIranNATO-GettyImages-2284500904.jpg",300,300,false],"large":["https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/TrumpIranNATO-GettyImages-2284500904.jpg",1024,1024,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/TrumpIranNATO-GettyImages-2284500904.jpg",1536,1536,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/TrumpIranNATO-GettyImages-2284500904.jpg",2048,2048,false],"post-thumbnail":["https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/TrumpIranNATO-GettyImages-2284500904.jpg",370,265,false],"kava-thumb-s":["https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/TrumpIranNATO-GettyImages-2284500904.jpg",150,85,false],"kava-thumb-s-2":["https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/TrumpIranNATO-GettyImages-2284500904.jpg",230,230,false],"kava-thumb-m":["https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/TrumpIranNATO-GettyImages-2284500904.jpg",400,400,false],"kava-thumb-m-vertical":["https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/TrumpIranNATO-GettyImages-2284500904.jpg",370,500,false],"kava-thumb-m-2":["https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/TrumpIranNATO-GettyImages-2284500904.jpg",570,450,false],"kava-thumb-l":["https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/TrumpIranNATO-GettyImages-2284500904.jpg",1170,650,false],"kava-thumb-xl":["https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/TrumpIranNATO-GettyImages-2284500904.jpg",1920,1080,false],"kava-thumb-masonry":["https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/TrumpIranNATO-GettyImages-2284500904.jpg",600,999,false],"kava-thumb-justify":["https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/TrumpIranNATO-GettyImages-2284500904.jpg",640,640,false],"kava-thumb-justify-2":["https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/TrumpIranNATO-GettyImages-2284500904.jpg",1280,640,false]},"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"#RiseCelestialStudios","author_link":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/author\/ralph-c\/"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"SPYBALLOON GLOBAL NEWS<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"Welcome back to World Brief, where we\u2019re looking at renewed strikes between U.S. and Iranian forces, the winners and losers of the NATO leaders\u2019 summit, and the United States threatening to cut off trade with Spain. \u2018It\u2019s Over\u2019 The U.S.-Iran cease-fire appears to be effectively dead. 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