The U.S. military said Wednesday that it launched fresh strikes on Iran aimed at keeping the critical Strait of Hormuz open to traffic, hours after President Donald Trump declared an interim agreement to end the war was "over."
The latest round of attacks, which the United States said was a response to Tuesday's assault on three cargo ships transiting the strait, rattled several cities along Iran's southern coast and left some areas without power.
"U.S. Central Command forces have started conducting additional strikes against Iran to further degrade their ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz," the U.S. military's Middle East command wrote on social media.
"The United States is holding Iran accountable for recent unjustified aggression against commercial shipping and civilian crews freely navigating a vital international waterway," it said.
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Wednesday's strikes against Iran will be greater in number than the ones carried out on Tuesday, a U.S. official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"This is in retribution for yesterday’s bombing of ships by Iran. If it happens again, it will get much worse!" Trump wrote on social media.
Smoke and flames rise after an explosion in Bandar Abbas, Hormozgan Province, Iran, in this screengrab obtained from a social media video released on July 8, 2026. Social Media/ via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. NEWS USE ONLY. VERIFICATION: - Buildings, trees, road layout and business signage that matched the archive and satellite imagery of the road near the Haqani port - Date not verified but NASA FIRMS detected heat at Haqani Port around midnight of July 8, local time. - Iranian Media reported an explosion near the fishing pier and corroborating visuals showed the fire in the area - No old results were found posted online before July 8.
"To me, I think it's over. I don't want to deal with them," Trump said of the Iranians earlier in the day at the NATO summit. "They're scum. They're sick people. They're led by sick people, and they're vicious, violent people."
He said U.S. negotiators wanted to continue to try to broker peace but, he said, "As far as I'm concerned, it's over."
"As far as I'm concerned, it's just a waste of time dealing with them," he added. "They're liars."
Trump made the comments several hours after Iran said it targeted U.S. military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait. The attacks came after the United States launched strikes against Iran in retaliation for attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz that American officials described as a ceasefire violation.
Vessels at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, July 8, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
NATO leader says U.S. strikes on Iran were ‘crucial’
Mark Rutte, the secretary general of NATO, said U.S. attacks on Iran were justified because Iran was violating the ceasefire.
“I think it is totally crucial that the U.S. forcefully react," Rutte said in a news conference.
He said members of NATO would discuss Iran on Wednesday. He said he expected them to confirm that “Iran should never, ever get its hands on a nuclear capability,” and that the Strait of Hormuz should remain open to free navigation.
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer and U.S. President Donald Trump attend a meeting of the North Atlantic Council (NAC) during the NATO leaders' summit in Ankara, Turkey, July 8, 2026. REUTERS/Yves Herman
Why did the U.S. attack Iran again?
U.S. Central Command said it launched strikes against Iran to "impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway."
"Iran’s demonstrated aggression was unwarranted, dangerous, and a clear violation of the ceasefire," CENTCOM said.
Iran periodically asserted its control over the Strait of Hormuz since the U.S. and Israel attacked in February, blockading and attacking ships, which drove up oil prices worldwide. The U.S. and Iran had another dust-up related to the Strait of Hormuz on June 26.
The United States also revoked a license for Iran to sell oil in response to a series of attacks on the commercial vessels that the regime has not taken responsibility for.
The ongoing conflict around the strait and escalating U.S. response underscored the tenuous status of peace negotiations. U.S. and Iranian officials signed a preliminary peace agreement in June to end the war that began Feb. 28. The memorandum of understanding called for reopening the strait and launched further negotiations on Iran's nuclear program and U.S. sanctions.
Why did Iran strike the U.S. back?
Iranian state media wrote on social media on Wednesday that its attacks were “in response to U.S. military aggression.”
“We will not allow U.S. interference in the Strait of Hormuz," state media wrote. “Transit through the (strait) is only permitted via the routes designated by Iran.”
Meanwhile, Iran has been in a period of public mourning for the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a U.S.-Israeli airstrike in February.
U.S. President Donald Trump and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio attend a meeting of the North Atlantic Council (NAC) during the NATO leaders' summit in Ankara, Turkey, July 8, 2026. REUTERS/Yves Herman
Do the U.S. and Iran have a ceasefire?
The two countries most recently reached a temporary, 60-day ceasefire agreement on June 19. But the U.S. struck Iran again June 26 in response to what it said were Iranian attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
Fighting appeared to die down until Tuesday, and on Wednesday, Trump said he considered the ceasefire over. The ceasefire lasted 18 days.
Contributing: Francesca Chambers, Erin Mansfield and Zac Anderson of USA Today
