Trump's comments came after the latest US-Iran conflict in the Gulf.

US President Donald Trump on Sunday said that his country had hit Iran 'very hard' in the latest attacks.

The Strait of Hormuz is open to all vessels seeking to lawfully transit the international waterway. U.S. forces are positioned and prepared to ensure that freedom of navigation remains available despite unwarranted Iranian aggression, harassment, threats, and arbitrary… pic.twitter.com/FS3TUBOZEj

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 12, 2026

Oman has also issued a formal protest to the Iranian ambassador following an attack on the country, state media reported.

Oman said Sunday it had rescued 23 crew members from a commercial ship while one was missing after the vessel was struck off the Gulf sultanate's eastern coast.

"Twenty-three crew members were rescued and provided with necessary medical care. Search operations are continuing for one crew member who remains missing," Oman's Maritime Security Centre said in a statement.

The agency said it had received a distress call from the Cypriot-flagged GFS Galaxy 4.4 nautical miles off the coast of Musandam Governorate.

The signal came after the vessel was struck during the latest exchanges of fire between Iran and the United States.

US Central Command said the ship had been disabled by fire and damage to its engine room, accusing Tehran of attacking it. (AFP)

Overnight US strikes on Iran killed one soldier, Iranian media reported Sunday after fighting resumed between the foes.

"Lieutenant Hamidreza Dehghani, of the navy of the Islamic republic's armed forces, was martyred during the criminal, terrorist attack last night by the United States on the port of Jask" in southern Iran, the Mehr and Tasnim news agencies said, citing a local official. (AFP)

Qatar on Sunday condemned Iranian attacks against its territory and its neighbours, after the Islamic republic launched salvos against Arab countries.

"Qatar condemns in the strongest possible terms the renewed attacks carried out by the Islamic Republic of Iran," the foreign ministry said in a statement, also referring to the targeting of Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman and Kuwait and calling the barrages a "dangerous escalation".

An adviser to Iran's supreme leader said on Sunday that the Strait of Hormuz was more important than "dozens of atomic bombs", vowing to protect the vital waterway.

"This strategic passage is more important than dozens of atomic bombs, and the Islamic Republic of Iran will protect it," Mohsen Rezaee was quoted by the ISNA news agency as saying. Western countries accuse Iran of seeking to create an atomic bomb, but Tehran has insisted its nuclear programme is for peaceful, civilian purposes. (AFP)

A conservative newspaper in Iran known for its provocative tone has published a list of people to be targeted as revenge for the killing of supreme leader Ali Khamenei, including the leaders of the US, Israel and European countries.

US-Israeli strikes killed the late ayatollah on February 28, the first day of the Middle East war, and his son and successor Mojtaba Khamenei has vowed revenge.

"Vengeance is the will of our nation and must inevitably be carried out," Mojtaba said on Saturday in his first message since his father's funeral this week.

"These criminals, whose names appear on a list, will take to their graves the wish of a peaceful death in their beds."

The Hamshahri newspaper, which is published by authorities in the Iranian capital, released an infographic online late Saturday featuring photos of 13 foreign leaders alongside Mojtaba's statement.

The supreme leader in his message said Iran had compiled a list of individuals to be targeted, but did not offer names, and there was no suggestion the newspaper's list was officially endorsed.

The infographic includes US President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, among others.

- AFP

The Omani government lambasted on Sunday an attack on its territory, state media announced, with Iran's Guards saying they targeted it during a barrage aimed at countries across the Gulf.

The Oman News Agency said on X that "the Sultanate of Oman affirms its condemnation and denunciation of this attack", which came just hours after the country hosted Iran's foreign minister to address security issues in the Strait of Hormuz.

- AFP

The Omani state news agency said drones struck sites in northeastern Oman in the region that sits on the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran had previously claimed attacks on Oman, which the sultanate did not acknowledge.

- AP

One Indian crew member is missing and 10 rescued after Iran attacks ship in Strait Of Hormuz. India calls US-Iran escalation "deeply worrisome". 

At 7:15 p.m. ET today, U.S. Central Command forces began launching the third round of strikes this week against Iran after Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces blatantly attacked M/V GFS Galaxy, a Cyprus-flagged container ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz. A civilian crew…

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 11, 2026

The Iranian Revolutionary Guards announced they had hit a second vessel in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, state media reported, after closing the key waterway and trading strikes with the United States.

"A second vessel accused of violating regulations in the Strait of Hormuz has been struck," the Guards said in a statement carried by state television IRIB, adding they had also attacked a US base in Qatar.

- AFP

The era of one-sided deals is OVER. We told you: keep your word or pay the price. Reality is knocking. pic.twitter.com/B97ogCYGaj

— محمدباقر قالیباف | MB Ghalibaf (@mb_ghalibaf) July 12, 2026

The US military said Saturday it hit at least 140 targets in Iran in retaliation for an Iranian attack on another commercial ship in the Strait of Hormuz.

"U.S. forces hit approximately 140 Iranian military targets with precision munitions launched by land- and sea-based fighter aircraft, drones, and naval vessels," the US Central Command said in a statement.

The targets included missile and drone sites, naval capabilities, ammunition storage facilities, communication networks and coastal surveillance locations, it added.

- AFP

Iran announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz after firing on a vessel it said was taking an "unauthorised route".

The United Arab Emirates defence ministry said Sunday that air defences were engaging missile and drone threats, while neighbouring Bahrain sounded air raid sirens after the United States struck Iran following an attack in the Hormuz strait.

The UAE defence ministry said sounds heard across the country "are the result of ongoing engaging operations of missiles and UAV's". Bahrain's interior ministry urged citizens and residents to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place.

- AFP

تم إطلاق صافرة الإنذار ، نرجو من المواطنين والمقيمين الهدوء والتوجه لأقرب مكان آمن ومتابعة الأخبار عبر القنوات الرسمية.

— Ministry of Interior (@moi_bahrain) July 12, 2026

Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said on Saturday that the people of the Islamic Republic "demand" to take revenge for the assassination of his predecessor and father, Ali Khamenei. In a written message that was released on his social media, he pledged to "avenge the blood" of Khamenei and the "martyrs" killed in the war.

"We pledge to avenge the blood of the martyred leader and all the martyrs of these two wars from the criminal and disgraced killers," Khamenei said in the message.

Iran warned that it would no longer be bound by a deal with the US aimed at ending the Middle East war if Washington's violations of the agreement continued, state TV reported on Saturday.

Referring to the deal struck with the help of Pakistani mediation, Tehran's UN ambassador said in remarks in New York on Friday "that if the United States continues to violate its obligations under the Islamabad Understanding, Iran will no longer consider itself bound by its commitments under that understanding", according to a statement carried by state broadcaster IRIB.

President Donald Trump threatened Iran on Saturday after the funeral of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei saw open calls for the U.S. leader's killing, further underlining the tensions gripping the Middle East as an interim deal to end the war buckles under repeated crossfire in the region.

Trump made the comments on his Truth Social after senior U.S. officials demanded that Iran make a public statement saying the Strait of Hormuz is open and that ships crossing the vital corridor won’t be attacked.

So far, Tehran has not done so, instead insisting that the route remain under its control and that it be allowed to charge ships moving through it, upending decades of precedent that considers the strait an international waterway.

There had been multiple days of U.S. airstrikes targeting Iran, as well as Iranian retaliatory fire targeting nations across the Middle East. Those strikes had been sparked by Iran attacking three ships in the strait earlier this week.

(AP)

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi will travel to Oman today at the head of a diplomatic delegation for talks on bilateral relations and regional developments, particularly the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran's official news agency IRNA reported.

An explosion heard in the eastern part of Tehran province was caused by the controlled disposal of ammunition remaining from the war, Iranian state media, citing a local official, said on Saturday.

The official said the operation posed no threat to citizens and that no incident had occurred.

Earlier on Saturday, Iranian state media reported that an explosion was heard in the eastern part of Tehran province, with residents of Pakdasht and Qiyamdasht reporting the blast while its source and exact location were not immediately known.

Iran has warned the US of a "reciprocal action" if it breaches any commitments, days after US President Donald Trump announced that the ceasefire with Tehran is "over". LIVE UPDATES

"Any US breach of commitments will be met with 'reciprocal action," Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson said, as quoted by state TV.

The ministry also denied Trump's claims that Tehran had requested the US to continue the talks. "We did not request negotiations with the US, but we accepted the Qatari mediators' trip to Iran," it said.

Days after hostilities between the decades-old foes resumed with tit-for-tat attacks, Iran's top negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, asserted that the war with the US would not end with Tehran's surrender.

"Ending the war is a priority for the countries of the world, but everyone must know that this confrontation will never end with Iran's surrender. Whenever the Americans betray the understanding (agreement), we are fully prepared to defend ourselves; we will stand firmly against them and secure the rights of the Iranian people," he said.

The Iranian leader also said that during negotiations with the US, he made it clear to US Vice President JD Vance that Iran has "no trust in them".

The International Energy Agency said Friday that "a recovery" in global oil demand had started as supplies tentatively start moving through the strategic Strait of Hormuz again and prices ease.

"A recovery in world oil demand is underway, with consumption set to rise from its May nadir," the IEA's monthly report said. The agency revised its forecast for demand through 2026 to be one million barrels a day lower than last year because of the Middle East war, against the 1.1 million fall predicted in its last report.

"Global oil supply rebounded by a sharp 4.1 million barrels a day (mbd) to 98.8 mbd in June, as a resumption of flows through the Strait of Hormuz underpinned a partial recovery in Gulf production. World output was nevertheless some 9.4 mb/d below pre-war levels," it said.

Two days of US strikes against Iran have killed 14 people and injured 78, Tehran's health ministry said on Thursday.

Separately, Ahmad Nafisi, deputy provincial governor of southern province of Hormozgan, said Thursday that US strikes in the fishing port town of Sirik killed three people and injured 15 more, state TV reported.

(AFP)

Defence Minister Israel Katz said Israel was prepared to resume its military campaign against Iran if needed, vowing to do so "with even greater force".

"The army is ready and on alert for a resumption of fighting, in order to regain air superiority and strike again... in Iran, to eliminate threats, including a third time if necessary," Katz said at a military ceremony. 

Iranian state media reported that a US-Israeli projectile hit a military headquarters on the outskirts of Bushehr, where its only civilian nuclear plant is located.
A US defence official however said that Washington was not currently carrying out any strikes on Iran.

Fresh Israeli strikes in Gaza killed six people on Thursday (local time) despite a US-brokered "ceasefire," Al Jazeera reported, quoting Gaza's Civil Defence agency and health officials.

Two of the six deceased were killed after an Israeli drone struck central Gaza's Nuseirat camp, while the other four died in different parts of the region, Al Jazeera reported, citing the Civil Defence agency. Hospitals in Gaza confirmed receiving the bodies of the six people killed in the attacks.

Former Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei was buried Friday in his home city of Mashhad, state television reported, following a ceremony at which his son and successor was not seen.

🚫 CLAIM: Iranian state media claims that transit through the Strait of Hormuz is only permitted through routes designated by Iran.
✅ TRUTH: Iran does not control the Strait of Hormuz. Since early May, U.S. forces have helped facilitate the successful transit of more than 800… pic.twitter.com/cpnTDBoFEG

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 9, 2026

 Trump speaks to Netanyahu
US President Donald Trump updated Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about Washington's latest "moves in the Gulf," the latter's office said.

 Iran says defence HQ hit
Iranian state media reported that a US-Israeli projectile hit a military headquarters on the outskirts of Bushehr, where its only civilian nuclear plant is located.

US says no major damage
Dozens of missiles and drones fired by Iran caused no significant damage or injuries to American personnel, a US defence official said.

Israel ready to attack Iran
Defence Minister Israel Katz said Israel was prepared to resume its military campaign against Iran if needed, vowing to do so "with even greater force".

US President Donald Trump briefed Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday about US operations in the Gulf, the Israeli Prime Minister's office said, said, after Iran reported fresh American strikes.

Iranian state media reported Thursday that a US-Israeli projectile hit military headquarters on the outskirts of Bushehr, hours after clashes between the United States and Iran flared.

"Moments ago, a military headquarters on the outskirts of Bushehr was attacked and hit by a projectile of the American-Zionist enemy," state news agency IRNA quoted deputy governor of Bushehr Ehsan Jahanian as saying.

Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz on Thursday said his country was prepared to resume its military campaign against Iran if needed, vowing to do so "with even greater force".

Dozens of missiles and drones fired by Iran caused no significant damage or injuries to American personnel, a US defence official said on Thursday.

The Iranian missiles and drones "were intercepted or failed to cause major damage," the official said on condition of anonymity, adding that there were "no US injuries." (AFP)

Jordan said earlier on Thursday that it had intercepted eight missiles launched from Iran, with no casualties or damage reported.

The Strait of Hormuz will be reopened only under Iranian arrangements — inside our territorial waters.
Not through empty threats from a country 7,500 miles away.
Iran decides. Iran controls. Iran enforces.

— IRAN EMBASSY in KENYA (@IRANinKENYA) July 9, 2026

Iran official says US strike targeted perimeter of nuclear plant, says Iranian state media. (AFP)

Several explosions heard in Bushehr province, says Iranian media. (AFP)

At least one person was injured on Tuesday, Kuwait's defence ministry said, following the latest Iranian attack on the country.

"The injured individual is receiving the necessary medical care and is in stable condition," defence ministry spokesman Colonel Staff Saud Abdulaziz Al-Atwan said, adding that four missiles and 10 drones had been "successfully intercepted and neutralised" at dawn. (AFP)

Explosions were heard over the Bahraini capital of Manama on Thursday morning and air raid sirens sounded for a third time after Iran's military said it had targeted sites in the Gulf kingdom as well as in Kuwait and Qatar in retaliation for US strikes.

According to Iranian state media, the military said "in continuation of the attacks by the Islamic Republic of Iran's army on US bases in the region" it had targeted a Patriot missile interceptor system in Kuwait, an early warning system in Qatar and fuel tanks in Bahrain with "a large number of various types of army kamikaze drones". (AFP)

Iranian state media has released what it calls the first footage showing damage to the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's compound in Tehran.

The unseen footage has been released to coincide with Khamenei's burial.

Thousands mobbed Khamenei's casket at chaotic Iraq funerals as fresh U.S. and Iranian strikes threatened to shatter an interim peace deal.

An AFP correspondent in the Bahraini capital Manama heard explosions on Thursday as air-raid sirens were activated for a second time, hours after Iranian attacks in the night.

"The siren has been sounded.. Citizens and residents are urged to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place," the interior ministry said in a post on X. 

Gold prices fell on Thursday, hovering near a one-week low, as renewed US-Iran hostilities lifted crude and reignited concerns about inflation and higher-for-longer interest rates. The US military said on Wednesday it launched fresh strikes on Iran to keep the Strait of Hormuz open to shipping, triggering Iranian attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain in the latest escalation to derail efforts to end the war. 

Spot gold fell 0.2% to $4,068.77 per ounce by 0522 GMT, after dropping to its lowest since July 1 on Wednesday. U.S. gold futures for August delivery were down 0.1% at $4,077.60.

"The catalyst that is supporting this trend to the downside for gold is a repricing of a second interest rate hike by the Federal Reserve to come in as early as Q1 next year," said Kelvin Wong, a senior market analyst at OANDA.

"After yesterday's skirmish, that temporary ceasefire agreement between US and Iran is on shaky ground right now, so things could turn pretty fluid again."

Markets are pricing a 68% chance of an interest rate hike in September, and see an 87% chance of an increase in January 2027, the CME FedWatch tool showed.

Concern about high inflation also mounted at the US central bank's meeting last month, as officials followed Fed Chairman Kevin Warsh's lead to a more stripped-down policy statement even amid concerns that price increases were broadening and might require interest rate hikes.

By Wednesday, US President Donald Trump signalled there was little hope of reviving the agreement, saying the ceasefire was effectively "over".

US strikes on Iran killed three people and wounded several others in the country's west, official news agency IRNA reported on Thursday, quoting a local official.

Valiollah Hayati, the deputy governor of Khuzestan for security and law enforcement, told reporters that three people were killed and several wounded in the American attack on the outskirts of city of Ahvaz, the IRNA report said.

 India's consumer inflation likely breached the central bank's medium-term target of 4% in June for the first time in 16 months, according to a Reuters poll, as higher food and fuel prices, the U.S.-Iran war and a weak monsoon added to cost pressures.

Consumer inflation, measured by the annual change in the consumer price index (CPI), is expected to have quickened to 4.3% in June from 3.93% in May, 37 economists forecast in the poll conducted July 3-9.

Estimates for the data, due to be released on July 13, ranged from 3.65% to 5.50%.

This would also be the highest inflation reading since India introduced its revised consumer price index series with a new base year and updated consumption basket in January.

Shares slipped in Asia and oil prices jumped Thursday as conflict escalated in the Middle East, with Iran and the US launching fresh attacks. US futures edged higher. The United States launched more airstrikes on Iran, and Iran responded by firing at Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar, a day after US President Donald Trump said their temporary ceasefire was “over.”

Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 reversed some of its losses from earlier in the week, gaining 1.6% to 67,849.98, helped by technology-related shares. Chip equipment maker Tokyo Electron jumped 5%, and artificial intelligence-focused investment holding firm SoftBank Group rose 0.4%.

South Korea’s Kospi index zigzagged, rising 0.1% to 7,255.09 despite a loss earlier in the day. It fell 5.4% on Wednesday. Samsung Electronics was down 1.3% on Thursday, while memory chip maker SK Hynix gained 3.6%.

The Shanghai Composite index traded 0.5% lower at 3,952.49, after China’s producer price index rose 4.1% in June compared to a year earlier. That was higher than May’s 3.9%, as some economists attribute the accelerating inflation to rising costs due to the Iran war.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng shed 0.8% to 24,011.61. Shares of Apple supplier Luxshare fell 5% in its trading debut in Hong Kong. Chinese AI company Zhipu, or Z.ai, surged 11.5% after it said it's raising about $4 billion through a share sale.

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 shed 0.5% to 8,745.20.

Trump also talked about the alleged plot to kill him during his interaction with reporters aboard Air Force One, while being questioned about why he wasn't using a new presidential jet gifted by Qatar to depart from the NATO conference.

The US military says it has ended its latest round of airstrikes targeting Iran after hitting some 90 targets, reports AP. 

The US military bombed two railway bridges in northeastern Iran in new strikes, Axios reported quoting a US official. 

This marks the first time Washington has struck Iranian infrastructure since the April 8 ceasefire. The US military launched cruise missiles at the bridges, the official said.

Iran state media reported explosions in multiple locations along the southern Iranian coast, including Bushehr, home to Iran's nuclear power plant complex, and the southern port cities of Chabahar, Konarak, Bandar Abbas, and Sirik. An airbase in Iranshahr also came under US military fire.

Iran's chief negotiator said Thursday that the Strait of Hormuz would be opened only under "Iranian arrangements", after Tehran and Washington traded strikes in the Middle East.

"The United States still has not learned that bullying and breaking its promises no longer come without consequences," Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on X. "Let me be clear: If you strike, you will be struck."

The United States launched new airstrikes hitting Iran early Thursday, sparking retaliatory Iranian fire targeting Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar in a crossfire that again threatened an interim deal aimed at finding a way to end the war gripping the Persian Gulf.

The strikes came hours after U.S. President Donald Trump said recent Iranian attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz signaled the end of the fragile ceasefire. The U.S. military hit a variety of military sites and port facilities early Wednesday following Iran’s targeting of several merchant vessels off the coast of Oman, sparking Iranian fire then as well.

But Thursday's attacks appeared bigger all around. There was no immediate word of damage in the three Gulf Arab countries. Kuwait’s military said it was actively intercepting incoming drones and missiles.

Military officials said in a social media post that the latest strikes were intended to “further degrade” Iran's ability “to threaten freedom of navigation” in the strait, through which a fifth of the world’s traded oil and natural gas passed before the war began with U.S. and Israeli attacks on Feb. 28.

Iranian state media reported explosions in several locations, including Bushehr, home to Iran’s nuclear power plant complex, and the southern port cities of Chabahar, Konarak, Bandar Abbas and Sirik.

Ebrahim Rezaei, spokesman for the Parliament's National Security Committee, has warned the US that Iran's supreme leader has taught Iranians not to fear the US. He warned of a response to the ongoing attacks, saying in a post on X, "Wait for the hard slap from Iranians."

US President Donald Trump ordered new strikes on Iran on Wednesday and warned of "much worse" if Tehran continues to attack vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, the vital oil shipping channel. Iran state media reported explosions in multiple locations along the southern Iranian coast after US Central Command announced a new wave of strikes.

Warplanes were heard over Kish Island and explosions rocked the port cities of Bandar Abbas, Konarak and Chabahar, part of which lost electricity, Iran's official news agency IRNA reported.

"This is in retribution for yesterday's bombing of ships by Iran," Trump said in a post on Truth Social. "If it happens again, it will get much worse!"

While ordering retaliation against Tehran, the US president said earlier on Wednesday that he expected the latest military flare-up to end quickly and left the door open to more talks.

US Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday (local time) warned Iran of further military action if it continues attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, saying the United States would respond "harder than ever before" to protect freedom of navigation and energy flows.

Speaking on Iran's nuclear programme and recent tensions in the region, Vance said, "Their nuclear program was destroyed, their conventional military was destroyed."

"The basic deal that we cut was: we'll lift our blockade if you stop shooting at ships. But if you shoot at ships, we are going to punch back, and we're going to punch back harder than ever before. That was the deal!" he said.

At least three power lines were cut in Chabahar County following the fresh US strikes on Thursday, Sistan and Baluchestan Electricity Distribution Company said according to Fars news agency. 

Explosions were heard in multiple locations along the Iranian coast as the United States launched new strikes on Iran late Wednesday, state media said.
Warplanes were heard over Kish Island and multiple explosions rocked the port cities of Bandar Abbas, Konarak and Chabahar, part of which lost electricity, Iran's official news agency IRNA reported.

The United States launched new strikes against Iran on Wednesday in a bid to curb Tehran's ability to target shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, the US military said.

US forces "have started conducting additional strikes against Iran to further degrade their ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz," US Central Command said on X, adding that Washington is "holding Iran accountable for recent unjustified aggression against commercial shipping."

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said the United States may pursue the de-nuclearisation of Iran without any formal agreement while accusing Tehran of repeatedly violating commitments made during negotiations.

Trump made the remarks during his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the 2026 NATO Summit in Ankara, where he criticised the previous nuclear agreement with Iran, which was agreed upon during the Obama administration, and contrasted it with his own proposed approach.

"JCPOA, what a terrible deal. I call it the Obama nuclear waste deal. What he did with that deal is he caused tremendous hardship in the Middle East. It was a terrible, terrible thing to do. And we've been just the opposite. Our deal is a wall to a nuclear weapon. His deal was a road to a nuclear weapon. We couldn't," Trump said.

(ANI)

The latest attacks launched by Iran did not result in any American casualties or cause major damage to facilities, a US military official said on Wednesday.

"All missiles and drones fired by Iran were intercepted or failed to cause major damage," the official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

The comment, which appeared to confuse the Islamic Republic of Iran with Japan, quickly spread across social media, where clips of the moment were widely shared.

Addressing reporters on the sidelines of the NATO Summit in Turkey, Trump said that although he has been "lucky" all this while, when it comes to assassinations, it might not continue to be the case.

President Donald Trump warned Iran on Wednesday that the U.S. was preparing for another night of strikes, just hours after he said the ceasefire was over following Iranian attacks on American military sites in the Gulf.

Trump threatened to strike Iran’s civilian infrastructure, including electric plants and desalinization plants, and to seize Kharg Island, with its oil infrastructure.

“We hit them very hard last night,” Trump said when asked about a possible return to hostilities. “We’ll probably hit them hard again tonight.”

Trump made the remarks in Ankara, Turkey, on the sidelines of a NATO summit. He said the strikes are continued retaliation for Iranian attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

(AP)

U.S. President Donald Trump threatened Wednesday to strike Iran’s civilian infrastructure and to seize Kharg Island, with its oil infrastructure, as his ceasefire with Tehran appeared to be in tatters.

Trump made the threats after announcing that the U.S. was preparing for a second night of strikes against Iran after Iranian attacks on American military sites in the Gulf.

If the U.S. has to, Trump said, it will take out Iran’s electric plants and desalinization plants. He said Tuesday’s strikes included attacks on Kharg Island but not its oil facilities.

“Maybe we’ll take over Kharg Island. We may take over Kharg Island. There’s not a thing they could do about it,” Trump said.

(AP)

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday gave Iran a "warning" and said that the United States will strike the Islamic Republic "very hard" tonight. He also stated that he was unhappy with Iran, hours after declaring that the ceasefire was over following attacks on American military sites in the Gulf.

Trump on Iran: 'We're gonna hit 'em hard tonight'

(AFP)

Almost 6,000 seafarers "remain stranded" in the Gulf, the head of the International Maritime Organization said Wednesday as he called for "maximum restraint and de-escalation".

"I condemn the attacks over the past two days against several ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz," IMO secretary general Arsenio Dominguez said in a statement after US President Trump said the ceasefire with Iran was over. "These reckless attacks have again placed innocent seafarers in grave danger," Dominguez added.

(AFP)

Global crude oil prices surged more than 6 per cent on Wednesday after US President Donald Trump said the ceasefire between Washington and Tehran was effectively over following a fresh round of American military strikes on Iran, intensifying concerns over energy supplies from West Asia.

International oil benchmark Brent crude climbed as much as 6.52 per cent or $4.69 to trade near $80 a barrel. Similarly, US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) advanced more than 6 per cent or $4.85 to around $75 a barrel.

Speaking in Ankara on the sidelines of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Summit, Trump told reporters that the US had carried out fresh strikes against Iran overnight in response to what he described as Iranian attacks on commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

(IANS)

WATCH: President Trump on the MOU with Iran:
“They are scum… as far as im concerned it’s over” pic.twitter.com/YTsBLSdiZQ

— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) July 8, 2026

President Donald J. Trump provides an update on U.S. Forces retaliatory strikes against Iran. pic.twitter.com/B6d10HRdXz

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) July 8, 2026

Trump: "We attacked, very powerfully last night, the very dangerous people from Iran... There's something wrong with them. We say, 'Go and do your funeral stuff,' and instead of that, they start shooting rockets at ships yesterday. So we hit them very hard last night." pic.twitter.com/DYN0wKjDCW

— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) July 8, 2026

.@POTUS on the status of the ceasefire with Iran: "To me, I think it's over. I don't want to deal with them anymore. They're scum... They're led by sick people... I'll speak to our negotiators. They want to negotiate—they're good people... but they have to come back to me. As far… pic.twitter.com/6eYfwMxSdn

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 8, 2026

Indian equity benchmarks opened lower amid fresh tensions between the US and Iran. 

At the open, Sensex fell over 400 points while Nifty was down 139 points. The indices continued to slip as US President Donald Trump said, "To me, the deal is over".

Oil prices surged about 6% after U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the interim agreement with Iran is "over," though he will allow talks to continue.

Trump made the comments following U.S. strikes on Iran in reaction to attacks on three ships in the Strait of Hormuz. The price of Brent crude oil jumped 5.4% to more than $78 a barrel. U.S. benchmark crude surged 5.8% to $74.55 a barrel.

"For me, I think it's over," Trump responded when asked about the status of the ceasefire. "It's just a waste of time dealing with them," he said on the sidelines of the two-day NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey.

Crude prices had declined recently from spikes well above $100 a barrel to around the levels they were at before the war with Iran began in late February.

(AP)

Iran's military warned on Wednesday that any site enabling the United States to attack the country would be considered a "legitimate target", after hostilities resumed despite an agreement intended to end the war.

"Any support provided to the aggressive American army to violate the sovereignty and territory of Islamic Iran will be a legitimate target of the armed forces," the military said in a statement.

(AFP)

Iran's military warned on Wednesday that any site enabling the United States to attack the country would be considered a "legitimate target", after hostilities resumed despite an agreement intended to end the war.

"Any support provided to the aggressive American army to violate the sovereignty and territory of Islamic Iran will be a legitimate target of the armed forces," the military said in a statement.

(AFP)

US strikes in southwest Iran on Wednesday killed a member of the Revolutionary Guards' navy, Iran's official IRNA news agency said.

"A member of the Guards, Mohammad Reza Khazini, was hit by shrapnel and died a martyr while confronting enemy drones" in Mahshahr, a port city not far from the Iraqi border, IRNA reported, citing a statement from the Guards, the ideological arm of the Iranian military.

(AFP)

Iranian media reported Wednesday a series of blasts in the port city of Bushehr following a resumption of hostilities with the United States. 

"Explosions have been heard in Bushehr and the surrounding area," the Mehr news agency said, without providing details. 

Located in Iran's southwest, Bushehr hosts the country's only civilian nuclear power plant and lies near Kharg island, the main oil terminal through which 90 percent of the nation's crude exports transit.

(AFP)

Kuwait condemned on Wednesday Iranian attacks on its soil, which it said undermined efforts to de-escalate tensions in the region, as Tehran claimed attacks on US bases in the country and in Bahrain.

Kuwait's foreign minstry said in a statement that it expresses its "strongest condemnation and denunciation of the repeated, illicit Iranian attacks," adding that "the continuation of these brazen attacks -- at a time when regional and international efforts toward de-escalation are underway -- systematically undermines efforts to lower tensions".

(AFP)

The new attacks by the US on Iran were "absolutely necessary," NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Wednesday.

The US military unleashed a new wave of strikes against Iran on Tuesday and revoked a license allowing Tehran to sell oil after three tankers were hit by projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz, putting pressure on an already fragile ceasefire.

"When you have a ceasefire and Iran is basically violating the ceasefire, I think it is totally crucial that the US forcefully react," Rutte told reporters before a summit of NATO leaders in Ankara.

At their summit, European leaders aim to convince Donald Trump to re-commit to the military alliance, after the US president revived his disputes with them over the Iran war and Greenland. 

Rutte said there could be no doubt over the "complete commitment of the United States to NATO," which he said also works to protect the United States.

(Reuters)

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they targeted US military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait on Wednesday after the US launched a wave of military strikes on Iran in response to attacks on tankers in the Strait of Hormuz.

In the latest blow to the fragile ceasefire agreement, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it carried out a joint missile and drone operation against key US military sites in Bandar Salman, Bahrain's Fifth Naval District and Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, and shot down a US MQ9 drone attempting to interfere in the operation.

Air raid sirens sounded in Bahrain and Kuwait, officials said. The Kuwaiti army said air defences were confronting "hostile" missile and drone attacks.

The US earlier unleashed fresh military strikes and revoked a licence allowing Iran to sell oil in response to attacks on three tankers in the strait.

(Reuters)

Amid spiralling regional tensions, Iran's top negotiator and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has strongly hit back at Washington, detailing numerous breaches of bilateral agreements by the United States.

Major MOU Violations by the US:
Violating Iranian adjustments in the Strait
Persistent threats of further strikes
Reinstating oil sanctions
Attacks on southern Iran
Continued Zionist aggression on🇱🇧
The era of bullying and extortion is over. It leads nowhere. We don’t fold.

— محمدباقر قالیباف | MB Ghalibaf (@mb_ghalibaf) July 8, 2026

The United States military hit over 80 targets during its latest strikes on Iran, US Central Command said Tuesday, conducted in response to Tehran's attacks on three ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

"US forces struck Iranian defense systems, command and control networks, coastal radar sites, anti-ship missile capabilities, and more than 60 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps small boats in and near the strait," the US military said in a statement posted to X.

(AFP)

 The dollar clung to its highest levels of the week against most of its peers at the start of trading in Asia on Wednesday as the US renewed strikes on Iran, renewing geopolitical tensions and sending oil prices higher.

The dollar index, which measures the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, traded at 101.18, its highest level since July 2.

The bids for safe haven currency came after the US unleashed a new wave of strikes against Iran on Tuesday and revoked a licence allowing the country to sell oil after three tankers were attacked in the Strait of Hormuz. 

Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the United States' Explicit Violation of Paragraph 10 of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding

... The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, while warning of the consequences of the United States' breach of the agreement, will take any action it deems necessary to safeguard its national interests and security.

بیانیه وزارت امور خارجه درباره نقض صریح بند ۱۰ یادداشت تفاهم اسلام‌آباد توسط آمریکا
... وزارت امور خارجه جمهوری اسلامی ایران ضمن هشدار نسبت به تبعات پیمان‌شکنی‌ آمریکا، هر اقدامی که برای صیانت از منافع و امنیت ملی خود ضروری بداند را اتخاذ خواهد کرد. pic.twitter.com/f0ooiv8PPG

— وزارت امور خارجه (@IRIMFA) July 7, 2026

US is hitting Iranian weapon launch sites, air defenses and more in strikes expected to last for hours, US officials say, reports AP.

Iranian state media on Tuesday reported a series of explosions heard in the Strait of Hormuz region, moments after US officials announced "powerful" strikes on Iran.

US oil prices jumped nearly 3% in early trade on Wednesday, extending the previous session's gains, after the US military launched a series of strikes against Iran, heightening concerns that a fragile truce was faltering.

The strikes against Iran were in response to Iranian attacks on three commercial vessels that were transiting the Strait of Hormuz, US Central Command said on Tuesday.

US West Texas Intermediate crude was up $1.95, or 2.8%, at $72.39 a barrel as of 2215 GMT.

Iranian state media on Tuesday reported a series of explosions heard in the Strait of Hormuz region, moments after US officials announced "powerful" strikes on Iran. 
IRIB news reported six explosions were heard on the Iranian island of Qeshm, seven explosions were heard in the city of Sirik and more were heard in the major port city of Bandar Abbas.

U.S. Central Command forces have begun launching a series of powerful strikes against Iran to impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway. The U.S. strikes are in response to Iranian attacks on three…

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 7, 2026