Main points
- US president Donald Trump said the memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran was “over” and that US forces will hit Iran “hard” on Wednesday night
- Trump labelled Iran as “very dishonourable” and claimed it had tried to have him killed
- Iran said the US “openly violated the ceasefire” with attacks on coastal bases and civilian stations, warning neighbouring countries not to allow US to use their territories
- Trump lashed out at European allies Spain and Denmark, saying he ordered for all trade to be cut off with Spain and renewing his fixation of the US taking control of Greenland, a Danish territory
- Oil prices hit a two-week high as a result of the renewed attacks in the Gulf region
Key reads
- Mark Weiss: Israel prepares for possibility of renewed full-scale war
- Senior Iranian officials emerge before huge crowds in telling move
- Poll finds US voters do not believe war in Iran has been worth cost
Trump on Wednesday said he did not think a full-fledged conflict with Iran would erupt in the wake of military strikes from both sides.
“I don’t think it’s going to start again. I think it’s going to go very quickly. They hit a couple of ships, and so we hit them much harder,” Trump told reporters in Ankara after a Nato summit.
“Anything that happens is going to be over very quickly ... and will only make it safer, including for oil,” he said. - Reuters
The latest post on X from Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi says addressing the country with “derogatory language does not diminish its greatness”.
Israel prepares for possibility of renewed full-scale war
Mark Weiss writes from Jerusalem:
Israel is preparing for the possibility that the renewed hostilities between the US and Iran could escalate into another full scale war, although the assessment on Wednesday from Israeli officials was that a return to conflict was not likely.
Air force, air defence and intelligence units were placed on high alert although there were no special instructions to the public and no restrictions were placed on public gatherings.
The Israeli leadership and much of the public consider the Gulf war unfinished business, particularly because Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium remains in place and the regime maintains a ballistic missile capability.
“Anyone who said Trump turned his back on us was wrong. The talk of defeat was premature,” an Israeli official said in an initial reaction after US president Donald Trump indicated, in comments at the Nato summit in Ankara on Wednesday, that the interim peace deal was over.
Read his analysis in full.
Two people killed by Israeli drone strike in Lebanon
Two people were killed after an Israeli drone strike near a hospital in Nabatieh al-Fawqa in southern Lebanon, the Lebanese state news agency reported on Wednesday. – Reuters
Pakistan urges all sides to uphold commitments under memorandum of understanding
Pakistan urged all sides to uphold their commitments under the Islamabad memorandum of understanding, its foreign ministry said on Wednesday, hours after Trump said the interim deal reached with Iran was “over”.
In a statement, Pakistan’s foreign ministry said the memorandum “remains an enduring foundation for understanding, mutual respect and shared prosperity for the region and beyond.”
Last month, the US and Iran reached a 14-point interim agreement titled “Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America” to halt the war and open the Strait of Hormuz. – Reuters
Trump says he is Iran’s ‘number one target’
US president Donald Trump defended his handling of Iran war at a press conference on Wednesday after the Nato summit, and said he was a target of Iran.
“They had leaders, they’re gone ... Now they have another set of leaders. They may be gone,” Trump told reporters in Ankara.
“And you know what, I may be gone too, because I’m their number one target.”
“I don’t really care because I’m doing my job and I’m doing it, I hope, better than anybody’s ever done it because we have a country that’s hot and really, really successful,” he said.
“I like being number one on TikTok better, but I’m number one on the list for killing.”
He said: “The Iran war has been a tremendous military success.”
He added, “I’m not sure I want to make a deal with them. We can play games, but I’m not sure I want to make a deal. Let’s just finish the job.” – PA/Reuters
Eight Iranian army members killed in US attacks
Eight members of the Iranian army were killed in US attacks on southern parts of Iran early on Wednesday, state media reported.
The victims belonged to the air force and navy and died due to strikes in Bandar Abbas and Bushehr, it added. – Reuters
Starmer calls for return of ceasefire
UK prime minister Keir Starmer has called for a return to the US-Iran ceasefire after a “challenging” two days as hostilities flared and Trump declared the interim truce over.
Starmer said allies must focus on “playing our part” in opening the Strait of Hormuz and securing a deal.
He added that Nato is “stronger and more united” coming out of the Ankara summit, with Trump praising its “spirit”, despite the US president’s criticism of the alliance threatening to overshadow the meeting.
Starmer said leaders “achieved what we wanted to achieve, which is unity”. – PA
Denmark ‘ready to defend every inch of Nato including our own territory’
Denmark has vowed to defend its territory after Trump insisted again that the US should control Greenland, while speaking at a Nato summit in Turkey.
Denmark’s prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, said her country is “ready to defend every inch of Nato including our own territory” in the event of an attack and would rely on Nato allies to honour their commitment to defend each other.
“We hope that all, including all allies, will respect the Greenland people’s right for self-determination,” said Frederiksen, in advance of the meeting of Nato leaders.
“Greenland is of course not for sale,” she added.
Trump renewed his interest in Greenland, insisting the US should control Greenland.
Arriving at the summit on Wednesday, Trump said he was “not happy with Nato” for its member nations’ pushback against his earlier efforts to take over Greenland, adding that the territory “is very important for the United States, but it’s not important for Denmark”. – AP
Wednesday: The day so far
Spanish-US ties ‘very positive’, says Sanchez, despite Trump threats
Earlier, Trump called for an end to trade with Spain, citing its lack of support for the war in Iran and what he described as its failure to meet Nato commitments.
He said “we are going to see what happens with the EU,” as “they have treated us very badly for years and took advantage” of the US.
Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sánchez insisted that his country’s ties with the US were “very positive” despite Trump’s latest threat to cut off trade links.
“Relations between the United States and Spain are very positive relations in social, cultural, economic and also political terms,” Sanchez told reporters.
He also said the co-operation between the US and Spanish armed forces remained “optimal and positive”.
Oil prices hit two-week high
Oil prices hit a two-week high after Trump said the memorandum of understanding with Iran to end the conflict was “over”.
Brent crude, the global benchmark, gained 4.9 per cent, rising to $77.78 a barrel (€68.19).
US West Texas Intermediate crude rose by 4.6 per cent to $73.73 (€64.64). – Reuters
Trump says he found Iran to be ‘very dishonourable’
US forces will “probably” carry out more strikes against Iran, Trump has said.
Speaking at the Nato summit in Turkey, he said: “If we make a deal with Iran, I’m not sure that will stick because I found them to be very dishonourable.”
Trump said the latest strikes had “a tremendous impact” and repeated the threat to destroy bridges, water treatment plants and power stations, pointing out the US had not been “attacking at the highest level”.
He also said that Iran “deserved” to be hit having asked for a “time out” for the funeral of the former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, only to “start shooting missiles ... it’s a crazy thing.” – PA
Trump warns he may reinstate naval blockade
Trump threatened to “take over Kharg Island”, a critical hub for Iran’s oil exports that lies in the Gulf.
He also warned he may reinstate the US naval blockade of Iranian ports, which had been lifted as part of the interim ceasefire deal.
He said: “We may put it back, the blockade, and it’ll only be a blockade for Iran. Anybody else can have whatever they want.
“Of course, they’ll drop some mines if they can, you know, if they can do it,” he said, adding “but we have mine sweepers.”
Trump claims Iran tried to have him killed
The US president said Iran tried to have him killed.
“I’m on every single one of their lists,” he said.
“And so far, I think I’ve been a little lucky, but maybe that luck won’t last long. Because that’s how things go, but we have some wonderful people.
“But these are evil, sick people, and we have to root out their cancer. The cancer has to be taken out of the body early,” he said. – The Guardian
Trump says he will hit Iran ‘hard tonight’
US president Donald Trump warned the US is preparing to launch more strikes against Iran, after he earlier said he considered the US-Iran truce to be “over”.
“I’ll give a little warning – we’re going to hit them hard tonight,” he said to reporters at the Nato summit in Turkey.
“They are behaving very badly,” he said of Iran, accusing the country of launching drones and a missile at ships.
Trump told the summit the US wanted to “remain” with the alliance, a source inside the closed-door session said, according to AFP. – Reuters
Nato’s leaders, including US president Donald Trump, have reaffirmed their “ironclad commitment” to the alliance’s article five mutual defence clause and the “transatlantic bond”.
The allies said they were “united in our unwavering support for Ukraine”, pointing out the European states and Canada “now finance the vast majority of security assistance” to Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s country at a Nato summit in Ankara, Turkey on Wednesday.
The declaration also noted the Europeans and Canada “are assuming greater responsibility for the alliance’s defence”.
Trump has berated European states for failing to pay enough for the defence of the Continent and he has also hit out at Nato allies for failing to support his war against Iran.
The Nato declaration reiterated the alliance’s position that Iran must never have a nuclear weapon and called on Tehran “to fully respect freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz”.
Trump turns attention back to Greenland at Nato summit
US president Donald Trump’s fixation with owning Greenland also returned at the Nato summit on Wednesday as he launched into a series of broadsides against European allies for letting him down in Iran.
“I’m not happy with Nato because of what they did with Greenland, and I’m not happy with Nato because of the fact that they didn’t want to help us with the number one state sponsor of terror, that’s Iran,” he said.
“Greenland is very important to the United States, but it’s not important to Denmark,” Trump continued, before shifting into an extended digression on the second World War, when the US took control of the world’s biggest island after Denmark fell to the Nazis.
“We took Greenland and then, stupidly, we gave it back,” he said. “We shouldn’t have given it back to them, because we’re the ones that need it. We need it for protection of the world, not just the United States. And it’s very important.”
Trump’s calls to take over the semi-autonomous Danish territory of Greenland sparked concern among the island’s 56,000 residents as well as in Denmark, which has been a close ally of the US for decades.
The fixation on Greenland appeared to peak at the World Economic Forum in Davos back in January, when he triggered panic among European allies that he was on the verge of launching a hostile takeover.
In the end, his rhetoric died down but it left Danish and European officials convinced that his intentions were serious. Trump then returned to the topic again shortly after arriving in Ankara.
“I heard the US president yesterday and I think the US position is unfortunately very clear on this topic and our position is very clear as it has been all through,” Denmark’s prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, told reporters in Ankara on Wednesday.
The overarching concern among European allies, according to one senior diplomat who was also in Ankara, is that Trump essentially views Europe as an adversary now and could choose to make Greenland the justification for a more serious confrontation.
“Greenland is a big problem for us,” Trump said. “The other big problem is the fact that when we wanted them, we didn’t want them badly, but we did say, ‘If you want to join us’, and they all said no, but when they could have.
“They weren’t there for us, and we’ve been there for them,” he added.
Trump renews threat to end trade with ‘terrible partner’ Spain
US president Donald Trump once again called for an end to trade with Spain, citing its lack of support for the war in Iran and what he described as its failure to meet Nato commitments.
“Spain is a wasted cause,” Trump said on Wednesday, sitting next to Nato secretary general Mark Rutte in Ankara, where the military alliance leaders were holding their annual summit. “We don’t want to do any trade business with Spain any more.”
“I’d like you to cut it off,” Trump said, turning to US treasury secretary Scott Bessent, who was also in the room. “Spain is a terrible partner in Nato. They don’t participate, they don’t pay. I don’t want anything to do with Spain.”
Spain’s IBEX stock index fell 2.1 per cent after Trump’s comments.
Minutes after Trump’s remarks, a spokesperson for the Spanish government said the country “is responding to these remarks calmly and as a matter of course”. The spokesperson stressed that the two countries have an “excellent” relationship, noting the US runs a trade surplus with Spain.
“Economic ties are built by private companies, not by governments,” the spokesperson added.
This is not the first time Trump has made threats to cut off economic links to Spain. Back in March, he said he had directed Bessent to “cut off all trade with Spain”.
That came after Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez denied access to his country’s military bases for the US bombing campaign against Iran. Unlike some European leaders who have tried to placate Trump, Sánchez has found that his standing at home has benefited from criticising Trump’s actions.
Oil prices rise and stocks slump following fresh round of strikes
Oil prices have risen and stocks have slumped after fresh attacks between the US and Iran that threaten to lengthen disruption in the Strait of Hormuz.
The price of Brent crude oil was up by as much as 3 per cent on Wednesday morning to about $76 a barrel, climbing to a two-week high.
Prices have been coming down in recent weeks after US president Donald Trump declared a ceasefire deal had been reached with Iran and that the Strait of Hormuz would reopen.
The initial deal secures safe, toll-free passage of the strait for 60 days, pending the outcome of a final agreement on Tehran’s disputed nuclear plans.
But the agreement was threatened after Iran targeted tankers transiting through the waterway, which is central to negotiations seeking a permanent end to the war.
US forces said they had launched “over 80” strikes on Iranian targets in response, and Iran said it had retaliated with strikes against Bahrain and Kuwait.
The US also reimposed sanctions on Iranian oil, after waiving them as part of the interim ceasefire.
Memorandum of understanding with Iran ‘over’, says Trump
US president Donald Trump said on Wednesday the memorandum of understanding signed with Iran to end the conflict was “over”, adding he didn’t want to engage with Tehran.
Trump was speaking in Ankara in advance of a Nato summit in the Turkish capital.
“For me, I think it’s over,” he said. “As far as I’m concerned it’s just a waste of time.”
Trump’s remarks came shortly after the US launched a new wave of strikes against Iran and revoked a waiver that allowed the sale of Iranian oil.
The actions, taken in response to recent attacks on ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, brought fresh volatility to energy markets and tested an already fragile peace agreement between Washington and Tehran.
“I don’t want to deal with them, but they’re scum,” the US president added. “You know what scum is? They’re scum. They’re sick people, they’re led by sick people, and they’re vicious, violent people, and if they had a nuclear weapon, they’d use it.”
However, Trump said he wouldn’t stop negotiators from continuing to engage, even as he expressed pessimism about the tactic.
“There’s something wrong with them, they’re cuckoo,” he said. “They can talk, but I think they’re wasting their time.”
Three ships were attacked in Hormuz, apparently by Iran, which has said repeatedly it won’t allow vessels to transit the crucial energy waterway without its permission. The end of attacks on commercial shipping and the US waiver were central elements of a memorandum of understanding that halted fighting between the US and Iran and set up a 60-day period for negotiations on a broader peace deal.
Together, the developments marked the most serious threat to the interim peace deal. The US blamed Iran for the attacks on shipping, while Tehran said the military strikes and waiver revocation violated the agreement between the two countries.
Oil prices, which touched a peak near $125 a barrel in late April, had returned toward pre-conflict levels this month on signs of a recovery. But following the Treasury decision, oil prices surged again on Tuesday.
EU aviation agency tells operators to avoid Iranian and Iraqi airspace
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency has said airlines should not operate within the airspace of Iran and Iraq, amid ongoing tensions and the potential for further military action.
The EASA said its bulletin for the airspaces of Iran and Iraq was valid until August 31st.
The agency’s previous bulletin, which expires on Wednesday, included Lebanon. It had also asked airlines to exercise caution when operating within the airspace of Bahrain, Kuwait, Israel, Jordan, Qatar, Oman, UAE and Saudi Arabia. – Reuters
Mourners marched through Iraq’s holy city of Najaf on Wednesday, following the coffin of slain Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as his six-day funeral procession, which drew huge crowds in his home country, pressed on across the border.
People carrying large portraits of the late leader gathered along the route and chanted: “Death to America” and “Death to Israel”, as Khamenei’s coffin was driven on a large truck through the streets.
Najaf holds special significance for Shia Muslims worldwide as the burial place of Imam Ali, the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Mohammad.
Khamenei’s coffin arrived on Tuesday evening at Najaf’s international airport, where Iraqi prime minister Ali al-Zaidi, senior officials and religious figures attended an official reception. – Reuters
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) navy has said one of its members was killed by “enemy drones” on Wednesday morning, Iranian state media reports.
The drone attack occurred in the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Mahshahr, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported. – Reuters/The Guardian
Iran warns neighbouring states not to allow US to use their territories
Iran’s foreign ministry has warned other countries in the region not to allow their territories to be used by the US to launch attacks.
In a statement carried by Iranian media following retaliatory strikes on US military-linked sites in Bahrain and Kuwait, the ministry also accused the US and Israel of violating the memorandum of understanding between Tehran and Washington.
It said the “repeated” US attacks against Iran, Washington’s decision to reimpose sanctions on Iranian oil exports, American interference in Tehran’s arrangements for the Strait of Hormuz and Israel’s continued strikes on Lebanon have rendered it “ineffective”.
Dutch prime minister Rob Jetten has said it is important to show Iran that breaches of the “fragile” ceasefire in the Middle East will not be accepted.
“At the same time, you must apply maximum diplomatic pressure to make sure talks continue and a solution is reached,” Jetten told reporters before a summit of Nato leaders in Ankara.
UK prime minister Keir Starmer, meanwhile, said it was important for Nato leaders to show “unity and strength” as he arrived at the alliance’s summit.
“It’s really great to be here for what will turn out to be a very important Nato summit, with the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and recent developments in the Strait of Hormuz,” he said, speaking to reporters at the Turkish presidential palace. – PA/Reuters
Retaliatory strikes targeted 85 sites linked to US military, Iran says
Iran launched strikes at 85 sites in Bahrain and Kuwait in what it described as an “initial retaliatory operation” against the US, Iranian state media reports.
In a statement carried by the state’s IRNA news agency, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said the strikes were in response to the “violation” of the Iran-US memorandum of understanding.
The 85 sites targeted in a joint missile and drone operation were linked to “important US military installations” in Bahrain’s Salman Port and its Fifth Naval District as well as the Ali Al-Salam Air Base in Kuwait.
Kuwait condemns Iranian attacks, Bahrain urges citizens to seek shelter
Kuwait’s foreign affairs ministry has condemned what it says are repeated Iranian attacks on its territory, the latest of which occurred this morning.
In a statement, it said Kuwait reserves the right to take “all necessary measures” to protect its sovereignty and security.
Meanwhile, sirens have been activated in Bahrain, with its interior ministry urging citizens to “remain calm and head to the nearest safe place”.
Iran said it had retaliated with strikes against Bahrain and Kuwait after the US attacks.
Rutte says new US strikes ‘absolutely necessary’
The new attacks by the US on Iran were “absolutely necessary”, Nato secretary general Mark Rutte has said.
“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.
Nato’s European leaders are aiming to convince Donald Trump to recommit to the military alliance at the summit after the US president revived his disputes with them over the Iran war and Greenland.
Following his arrival in the Turkish capital on Tuesday, Trump said he might have boycotted the summit had it not been for his friendship with the host, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and he did not rule out further troop withdrawals from Europe.
Earlier in the day, Nato sought to demonstrate that its European members were heeding Trump’s calls to spend more on their own defence and rely less on the US by unveiling a raft of arms deals worth at least €50 billion.
Trump, who has harshly criticised Nato during both his first and second terms in office, said he was “very disappointed” with the alliance and that the US was not “treated well” during the US-Israeli war on Iran.
“Why are we spending hundreds of billions of dollars, and they’re not there for us? We’ve always been there for them,” Trump said in an appearance on Tuesday alongside Erdogan.
Bahrain and Kuwait targeted
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.
Air raid sirens sounded in Bahrain and Kuwait, officials said.
The Kuwaiti army said air defences were confronting “hostile” missile and drone attacks.
Iranian media earlier reported explosions in Iran’s main oil hub of Kharg Island, on Qeshm Island and in the southern port cities of Sirik and Bandar Abbas. Iran’s Press TV reported several blasts were heard in southern Kharg Island.
Iran accuses ‘child-killing’ US army of breaching ceasefire
A statement by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said the “child-killing and terrorist US army” had “openly violated the ceasefire” with attacks on coastal bases and civilian stations.
Iran’s top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf accused the US of committing “major” violations of the initial ceasefire deal between the two parties, known as the Islamabad memorandum of understanding.
In a post on X, he said the violations included persistent threats of further strikes, reinstating oil sanctions and attacks on southern Iran.
“The era of bullying and extortion is over. It leads nowhere. We don’t fold,” Ghalibaf said.
Three civilian vessels were hit in the strait on Tuesday – the most in a single day since late April, according to UN International Maritime Organisation figures.
In response, maritime authorities have raised the threat level from “substantial” to “severe”.
The renewed hostilities threaten to again disrupt shipping transiting the Gulf channel and cause difficulties in securing a permanent end to the conflict, launched by the US and Israel on February 28th.
US forces attack Iranian targets
US forces said they launched “over 80” strikes on Iranian targets in response to Iran’s targeting of tankers in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran said it had retaliated with strikes against Bahrain and Kuwait.
The attacks came just hours after Washington also pulled Tehran’s license to sell oil, which was only issued last month following an interim ceasefire deal.
The strategic waterway remains a flashpoint in the fragile truce, having sparked a previous exchange of fire between the two sides after a cargo ship was struck, threatening the agreement aimed at ending the war.
In a statement on X early on Wednesday, the American military said: “US Central Command (CENTCOM) forces completed a new round of offensive strikes against Iran, July 7, hitting over 80 targets with precision munitions as an immediate response to Iran’s latest attacks on commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
“US forces struck Iranian air defence 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 to degrade Iran’s ability to continue attacking international commerce flowing through the international trade corridor.”
The statement said the “unwarranted aggression by Iranian forces” marked a “clear and dangerous violation of the ceasefire and undermines freedom of navigation”.
