Iran-US War Latest: Trump Claims Tehran Called Seeking a Deal After Strikes

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Iran-US war latest: Trump claims Tehran called and ‘want to make a deal so badly’ after second night of strikes

US president says ceasefire ‘over’ following strikes on ships in Strait of Hormuz

The US military said it struck 90 sites across Iran this morning, saying the operation was aimed at degrading Tehran’s ability to target shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

After explosions were reported in coastal areas across southern Iran, missile sirens sounded across Gulf nations warning of potential retaliatory strikes from Tehran.

The US continued carrying out airstrikes against Iran after president Donald Trump declared on Wednesday that the ceasefire between the two nations was “over” in the wake of Iranian attacks on commercial vessels in the strait.

The president wrote on social media on Wednesday that the strikes were “retribution for yesterday’s bombing of ships by Iran”, warning that attacks could “get much worse” if hostilities continued.

He told reporters onboard Air Force One that Iran had reached out recently and claimed that Tehran still wanted to make a deal “so badly”. Iran hasn't confirmed any such overtures.

The resumption of attacks came as the president said he was “not sure” if he wanted to make a deal with Tehran going forward.

Asked why he now viewed Iran’s leadership as “scum”, the US president told the Nato summit in Turkey that he “got to know ‘em”.

Iran accuses Nato chief of ‘willful complicity’ in US-Israeli war

Iran has criticised Nato secretary general Mark Rutte over his support for recent US strikes, accusing him of admitting Europe’s role in the conflict.

Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said European countries that allowed the use of their military bases and infrastructure for the campaign were complicit in what he called an “unprovoked aggression” against Iran.

His remarks came after Rutte described the latest US attacks as “absolutely necessary” and said thousands of US military aircraft had operated from European bases during the war.

“Mark Rutte’s repeated admissions of Europe’s willful complicity in the US-Israeli war of aggression against Iran only confirms, once again, that they were not impartial in this brutal unlawful aggression. Those who provided their territories, military bases, and infrastructure to enable the aggression cannot evade responsibility for their contribution to an unprovoked aggression and its grave consequences,” he wrote on X.

Maroosha Muzaffar9 July 2026 07:30

US forces strike 90 military targets along Iran’s coastline

Maroosha Muzaffar9 July 2026 07:10

Shipping through Strait of Hormuz slows sharply after renewed US strikes

Commercial vessel movement through the Strait of Hormuz has dropped significantly after the US carried out a second day of strikes on Iran, according to Bloomberg News.

Using ship-tracking data, the report said only a handful of large vessels were moving through the strategic waterway, including a US-sanctioned supertanker leaving the Gulf and an Iranian-flagged container ship.

Bloomberg said just 14 cargo ships passed through the strait in both directions on Wednesday, the lowest daily total since the US and Iran signed their memorandum of understanding in mid-June.

By comparison, the waterway had averaged around 34 cargo vessel transits a day during the three weeks after the interim agreement came into effect.

Maroosha Muzaffar9 July 2026 06:50

Khamenei’s coffin transported from Najaf to Iran ahead of burial

The coffin of Iran’s slain supreme leader is being transported from the Iraqi city of Najaf to Mashhad in northeastern Iran ahead of his burial later today, according to the Mehr news agency.

The transfer marks the final stage of six days of funeral ceremonies held across Iran and Iraq, including in the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala.

Mohammad Mohammadi Golpayegani, head of Khamenei’s office, said the late leader had requested to be buried in Mashhad, near the shrine of Imam Reza.

Maroosha Muzaffar9 July 2026 06:30

US says latest strikes intended to ‘degrade Tehran’s ability to threaten freedom of navigation’ in Strait of Hormuz

The US military said its latest strikes were aimed at protecting commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz after recent attacks on vessels.

US Central Command said the operation was intended to “further degrade Tehran’s ability to threaten freedom of navigation” and “further degrade Tehran’s ability to threaten freedom of navigation” in the vital waterway.

In a statement, it said: “The United States is holding Iran accountable for recent unjustified aggression against commercial shipping and civilian crews freely navigating a vital international waterway.”

Maroosha Muzaffar9 July 2026 06:10

Iran dismisses Trump’s ‘scum’ remark and says they will answer with ‘action’ and not ‘vulgarity’

Donald Trump claimed that Iran had reached out seeking a deal but questioned whether Tehran could be trusted to uphold any agreement.

He told reporters: “I don’t want to deal with them anymore, they’re scum. You know what scum is? They’re scum. They’re sick people.”

Later, he said: “I just don’t know if they’re worthy of making a deal - I don’t know that they’re going to honour the deal, that’s the problem.”

Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, hit back and dismissed further negotiations. “We do not answer vulgarity with vulgarity, but with action: fearlessly and with great valour,” Araghchi wrote on X.

Maroosha Muzaffar9 July 2026 05:50

Trump says Iran wants a deal 'so badly' after US military action

Maroosha Muzaffar9 July 2026 05:30

Iran’s parliamentary speaker says Strait of Hormuz will not operate under ‘American threats’

Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, warned Washington that any further attacks would draw a response after the US launched fresh strikes overnight.

“Let me put it plainly: if you strike, you’ll get hit,” he wrote on X, adding that the Strait of Hormuz would only operate under Iranian arrangements and not “American threats”.

Maroosha Muzaffar9 July 2026 05:10

Trump says Washington would request even more forcefully if Iran targeted shipping again

Donald Trump has warned that Washington would respond even more forcefully if Iran targeted shipping again, while US Central Command said the operation was aimed at protecting freedom of navigation through one of the world’s busiest oil transit routes.

The renewed conflict has raised fears of a wider regional crisis and sent shockwaves through global markets.

Brent crude climbed more than 5 per cent to nearly $80 a barrel as investors worried about disruptions to oil supplies through the Strait of Hormuz, while US stock markets fell.

The fresh strikes have also dealt a blow to hopes that last month’s interim truce between Washington and Tehran could be turned into a lasting peace agreement.

Maroosha Muzaffar9 July 2026 04:50

US launches second wave of strikes on Iran

The US launched a second wave of strikes on Iran on Wednesday, hours after president Donald Trump declared that an interim agreement to end the conflict was “over”.

Iranian state media reported explosions in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas, the coastal city of Sirik and Bushehr province, while the US military said the attacks were intended to weaken Iran's ability to threaten shipping in the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

The latest escalation came after three commercial ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz were attacked, prompting the US to carry out what it described as retaliatory strikes.

Maroosha Muzaffar9 July 2026 04:18