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Trump Declares Iran Ceasefire Over As U.S. Launches Second Night Of Strikes And Iran Threatens To Close Strait Of Hormuz

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July 8, 2026

Trump Declares Iran Ceasefire Over As U.S. Launches Second Night Of Strikes And Iran Threatens To Close Strait Of Hormuz

President Donald Trump declared the ceasefire with Iran effectively over on Wednesday and the United States launched a second consecutive night of military strikes against Iranian targets, escalating a cycle of retaliation that has pushed the fragile interim peace agreement to the edge of collapse and raised fears of a return to full-scale war across the Middle East.

U.S. Central Command confirmed the strikes in a statement on X, saying American forces had begun conducting additional attacks against Iran at Trump’s direct order, aimed at further degrading Tehran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

What We Know So Far

The strikes were the second consecutive night of American military action against Iran, following Tuesday’s wave of attacks that itself came in response to Iranian strikes on three merchant vessels in the strait earlier in the week.

The three ships targeted by Iran were the Al Rekayyat, flagged to the Marshall Islands, the Wedyan, flagged to Saudi Arabia, and the Cyprus Prosperity, flagged to Liberia, Sky News confirmed. All three were struck while transiting the strait on a route near Oman’s shore that multinational maritime authorities had designated as open for commercial traffic, rather than the route Iran had ordered vessels to use.

Explosions were heard in multiple Iranian coastal cities following the Wednesday night strikes. Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency reported blasts near Bandar Abbas and Sirik, with air defenses described as engaging hostile targets in both areas.

Mehr News Agency separately reported explosions in Konarak and Chabahar. Power cuts were reported in Chabahar. Blasts were also heard in the Bushehr area, though Sky News noted that the attack on Bushehr did not damage the nuclear plant located there.

On Tuesday, U.S. Central Command said American forces had hit Iranian air defense systems, radars, and more than 60 small Revolutionary Guard boats used to threaten shipping in the strait, the Associated Press confirmed. Iranian state television reported that eight members of Iran’s Army air and naval forces were killed in Bandar Abbas and Bushehr during Tuesday’s strikes, and that one Revolutionary Guard member was killed in Bandar Mahshahr.

Iran retaliated Wednesday morning with missile and drone strikes on U.S. military installations in Bahrain and Kuwait. Kuwait confirmed it intercepted two ballistic missiles and 13 drones launched by Iranian forces.

The Kuwaiti Electricity Ministry said power lines were disrupted after shrapnel from the intercepted projectiles fell on infrastructure. The Revolutionary Guard separately claimed it had targeted 85 U.S. military sites across Bahrain and Kuwait during the overnight exchanges.

What Trump And U.S. Officials Are Saying

Trump used blunt and personal language to describe the state of the conflict at the NATO summit in Ankara, where coverage of the Iran crisis dominated the gathering.

“For me, I think it is over,” Trump said when asked directly about the status of the ceasefire. He added that American negotiators could continue talking but questioned whether it would lead anywhere. “They can talk, but I think they are wasting their time,” he said.

Earlier in the day, Trump had telegraphed the coming strikes openly. “We will probably hit them hard again tonight. I will give them a little warning. We are going to hit them hard tonight. But we will see how it all works out,” he told reporters during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the summit.

Trump also threatened to hit Iranian civilian infrastructure, including electric plants and desalination facilities, and raised the possibility of seizing Kharg Island, through which 90 percent of Iranian oil exports pass.

He said the back and forth fighting would not result in long-term military action, adding that “anything that happens is going to happen very fast,” though he also said the United States might “just finish the job.”

Asked why he viewed Tehran’s leadership as “scum,” Trump told the NATO summit he had simply “got to know them.” He also described himself as “number one” on Iran’s kill list, a claim he appeared to make without alarm.

Vice President JD Vance, speaking at an event in Milwaukee, framed the American position in stark and simple terms. “The basic deal that we cut was we will lift our blockade if you stop shooting at ships. But if you shoot at ships, we are going to punch back, and we are going to punch back harder than ever before,” Vance said. “The deal is very simple: If they shoot at ships, we are going to knock the hell out of them.”

Vance also confirmed that the United States considered Iran to be in violation of the memorandum of understanding the two countries had signed, and said Trump “maintains a lot of options” in pursuit of his core objective of keeping the Strait of Hormuz open to oil and gas shipments.

What Iran Is Saying

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi pushed back against Trump’s framing in a post on X, saying the president’s comments were “not a sign of power but an admission of the failure” of U.S. policy toward Iran.

Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, one of Tehran’s top negotiators in the peace talks, maintained a defiant posture. “The era of bullying and extortion is over. It leads nowhere. We don’t fold,” Qalibaf wrote on X.

Iran threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz again in response to any further American strikes, the most serious signal yet that Tehran was prepared to return to the chokehold strategy that had caused severe disruption to global energy markets since the war began in February.

Iran’s armed forces, through a military source cited by Nour News, vowed to launch a “massive” attack on American military bases across the region in retaliation for the Wednesday night strikes. The Revolutionary Guard described the U.S. attacks as a ceasefire violation.

Why This Matters

What is happening in the Strait of Hormuz is not simply a military exchange between two adversaries. It is a contest over who controls one of the most consequential pieces of geography in the global economy.

Before the war, a fifth of all globally traded oil and natural gas passed through the strait. Iran’s demonstrated capacity to bring that traffic to a near halt during the conflict represented its single greatest strategic advantage over the United States, a fact that American officials have openly acknowledged. Control of the waterway, or the credible threat of closing it, gives Tehran leverage that no other instrument of Iranian power can replicate at the same scale or speed.

The attacks on the three tankers Tuesday and the pattern that preceded them reflect a calculated Iranian strategy rather than impulsive aggression. By striking ships that used the Oman route rather than Iran’s designated corridor, Tehran was asserting in the most direct terms available that its authority over the strait is non-negotiable.

The United States, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the Gulf Arab coalition have equally and explicitly said they will not accept Iranian control over an international waterway governed by maritime law for generations.

That fundamental incompatibility was not resolved by the interim memorandum. It was deferred, and it is now asserting itself with escalating force on both sides.

Trump’s willingness to declare the ceasefire over while simultaneously saying negotiations can continue reflects the contradictions embedded in the American position. Washington wants a deal that strips Iran of nuclear capability, ends its support for armed proxy groups, and keeps the strait open without Iranian tolls or route restrictions.

Tehran wants sanctions lifted, frozen assets released, and recognition that it retains meaningful authority over the waterway. Those two sets of demands have not moved meaningfully closer to reconciliation in the weeks since the interim agreement was signed.

The division within Iran’s own leadership may be contributing to the current escalation. Analysts and the Associated Press noted that hard-liners seeking permanent control over the strait and the leverage it provides may be driving the tanker attacks, while pragmatists focused on economic relief through a permanent deal watch their negotiating position erode with each American strike that degrades Iranian military capacity.

Oil prices surged after Trump’s comments and the announcement of fresh strikes, a reminder that every hour of military exchange has an immediate and tangible cost to consumers and economies far beyond the Persian Gulf.

Pakistan, which served as a key mediator in brokering the interim agreement, urged both sides to step back from the brink as Wednesday’s events unfolded, according to Sky News. Whether that appeal carries sufficient weight to interrupt the current momentum remains deeply uncertain.

What Happens Next

Khamenei’s burial is scheduled for Thursday at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad. U.S. officials had indicated that substantive final-deal negotiations would begin after the burial, but the current military exchanges have made even that tentative timeline difficult to envision.

Trump’s assertion that the ceasefire is over, combined with his openness to continuing negotiations simultaneously, leaves the situation in a state of deliberate ambiguity that appears designed to keep maximum pressure on Tehran without formally closing the diplomatic door.

Whether Iran’s leadership interprets that ambiguity as an invitation to negotiate or as a justification for further escalation will determine what the next 48 hours look like.

The threat to close the strait again, if carried out, would trigger immediate consequences for global energy markets and would almost certainly draw a military response of greater scale than what has occurred so far.

The potential for miscalculation in an environment where both sides are conducting active military operations while simultaneously claiming to remain open to talks is significant.

Mediator Pakistan and other regional actors including Qatar and Turkey face an urgent challenge: finding a formula that allows both Washington and Tehran to stop shooting without either side being seen domestically as having capitulated.

Whether they can do so before the next exchange of strikes further narrows the space for diplomacy is the question that will define the next chapter of a conflict that the entire world has a stake in seeing resolved.

Reuters, The Associated Press, CNN, Sky News, The Independent

Iran Strikes U.S. Military Sites In Bahrain And Kuwait After Fresh American Airstrikes

Omonigho Daibo

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July 8, 2026

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Iran Strikes U.S. Military Sites In Bahrain And Kuwait After Fresh American Airstrikes

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards launched missile and drone strikes targeting U.S. military installations in Bahrain and Kuwait on Wednesday, escalating a cycle of retaliation that has brought the fragile interim peace agreement between Washington and Tehran to its most dangerous point since it was signed, as the funeral of Iran’s slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei continued and mourners across the region chanted vows of vengeance.

The Iranian strikes came hours after the United States launched a fresh wave of military attacks on Iranian targets and revoked a key license allowing Tehran to sell oil internationally, itself a response to Iranian attacks on three tankers in the Strait of Hormuz the previous day.

What We Know So Far

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps confirmed it carried out a joint missile and drone operation targeting what it described as key U.S. military sites, including Bandar Salman and Bahrain’s Fifth Naval District, and Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait. The IRGC also said it shot down a U.S. MQ-9 drone it claimed was attempting to interfere in the operation, Reuters confirmed.

Air raid sirens sounded in both Bahrain and Kuwait. The Kuwaiti army confirmed its air defenses were actively confronting what it described as hostile missile and drone attacks. The U.S. military did not immediately comment on the Iranian strikes.

The U.S. Central Command said more than 60 small IRGC boats were among the targets struck during its earlier wave of strikes against Iran, which also hit Iranian air defense systems, coastal surveillance systems, surface-to-air missiles, anti-ship cruise missiles, and drone launch sites, a U.S. official told Reuters.

Iranian media reported explosions at Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil export hub from which 90 percent of its crude oil is shipped, as well as on Qeshm Island and in the southern port cities of Sirik and Bandar Abbas. CENTCOM did not mention Kharg Island in its public statements.

No civilian deaths in Iran were reported, though several people were injured by shrapnel from what Iranian state television described as an enemy projectile striking a commercial pier in Sirik. Strikes also reportedly hit fishing piers in Sirik and Bandar Abbas.

Bahrain sounded its alert sirens a second and then a third time later Wednesday morning, the Associated Press confirmed.

What Authorities Are Saying

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, speaking to reporters before the NATO leaders summit in Ankara where Trump was present, offered firm backing for the American strikes. “When you have a ceasefire and Iran is basically violating the ceasefire, I think it is totally crucial that the U.S. forcefully react,” Rutte said. “The new attacks by the U.S. on Iran were absolutely necessary.”

CENTCOM framed its operations in clear terms. “The unwarranted aggression by Iranian forces is a clear and dangerous violation of the ceasefire and undermines freedom of navigation,” the command said.

Iran’s top joint military command, the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, condemned the U.S. strikes as a “blatant act of aggression” and threatened a “crushing response,” warning that Tehran would not permit American interference in what it characterized as its management of the strait.

Iranian parliament speaker and top negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf took the broadest view of Iranian grievances, citing the U.S. military strikes, the oil license revocation, what he called violations of Iranian shipping route adjustments in the strait, and ongoing Israeli attacks against Lebanon as a combined package of American and Israeli bad faith. “The era of bullying and extortion is over,” Qalibaf wrote on X. “We don’t fold.”

Iran’s foreign ministry described the U.S. strikes as an openly ceasefire-violating act targeting civilian infrastructure alongside military sites. It said it would take “any measure it deemed necessary to safeguard its interests and national security.”

Senior UAE diplomat Anwar Gargash described Iran’s strikes on Bahrain and Kuwait as proof that Tehran remained unable to commit to the requirements of de-escalation. “The Gulf Arab states cannot remain a target for Iran’s wavering between the logic of escalation and the path of rationality, stability and peace,” he wrote.

Qatar, which has been a key mediator alongside Pakistan in the talks, held Iran “fully legally responsible” for the attack on its LNG tanker the Al Rekayyat, with Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari calling it an “unacceptable attack” on international navigation and global energy security.

A U.S. official told the Associated Press that negotiators on both sides had continued working in good faith toward a final agreement even as the military exchanges unfolded, suggesting neither country had formally abandoned the diplomatic track as of Wednesday.

Why This Matters

Wednesday’s events represent the most serious test of the interim U.S.-Iran agreement since it was signed and reveal structural vulnerabilities in the ceasefire framework that neither side has been able or willing to resolve.

The fundamental problem remains the Strait of Hormuz. Iran insists on controlling vessel routes through the waterway, demanding registration with Tehran for ships heading north and asserting the right to eventually charge fees for transit.

The United States, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the broader Gulf Arab coalition maintain the strait is an international waterway governed by longstanding maritime law that no single nation can unilaterally restrict or monetize.

The interim agreement papered over rather than resolved that disagreement, and Iran’s attacks on ships using the Oman-adjacent route, which U.S. and multinational maritime authorities had designated as open for all traffic, represent a direct assertion of the position Tehran never actually conceded in negotiations.

The decision to strike Bahrain and Kuwait is strategically calculated in ways that go beyond immediate military exchange. Bahrain hosts the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet. Kuwait hosts multiple American military installations.

By striking directly at the physical infrastructure of American military presence in the Gulf, Iran is demonstrating that it can impose costs on the United States beyond the strait itself and beyond Iran’s own borders. That demonstration serves Tehran’s negotiating position even as it escalates the immediate military risk.

The revocation of Iran’s oil sales license removes one of the most tangible economic benefits Tehran had secured through the interim agreement. Iranian oil exports had been sanctioned since the 1979 revolution, and the temporary authorization had given Iran access to dollar-denominated international oil markets for the first time in decades. Losing that access before the 60-day negotiating window has elapsed is a significant material blow, one that Iran’s foreign ministry has characterized as a fundamental breach of the framework agreement.

The timing relative to Khamenei’s funeral complicates matters further. Iranian political culture is deeply attentive to the symbolism of mourning and honor. Launching military strikes on Iranian territory during the days of the supreme leader’s funeral ceremonies, while hundreds of thousands of mourners fill the streets of Qom, Najaf, and Karbala, produces a domestic political dynamic inside Iran that makes compromise appear to its domestic audience as submission to aggression against the nation at its most vulnerable moment.

Khamenei’s son, Iran’s new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, had not appeared publicly at any point during the funeral ceremonies and was believed to be in hiding following reports that he had been wounded in the airstrike that killed his father.

His continued absence from the public stage leaves open the question of who is directing Iran’s strategic decision-making and whether the current escalation reflects a considered policy or the actions of military commanders operating with significant autonomy.

What Happens Next

Khamenei’s funeral was expected to culminate Thursday with burial at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, his birthplace. U.S. officials had indicated that serious negotiations toward a final agreement would not resume until after the burial, setting Thursday as the earliest possible moment for diplomatic re-engagement.

Whether that diplomatic re-engagement can occur given Wednesday’s strikes on Bahrain and Kuwait, the oil license revocation, and the hardened public language from both sides is deeply uncertain. Iran’s Foreign Minister Araghchi had warned that negotiations on the final deal “would not commence if threats continue,” a condition that Wednesday’s events have made considerably harder to meet.

Trump remained in Turkey for the NATO summit, where the alliance’s formal condemnation of Iranian ceasefire violations and NATO’s backing of the U.S. military response will frame the political environment in which any diplomatic outreach must now take place.

For the Gulf Arab states, the strikes on Bahrain and Kuwait represent a direct security threat that goes beyond their roles as hosts of American bases. The UAE’s Gargash articulated a regional frustration that has been building across the Gulf since the war began: that Iran’s pattern of using its neighbors as the venue for its confrontation with the United States is unsustainable and that the regional states themselves require clearer security guarantees.

The question of whether both Washington and Tehran remain at the negotiating table despite the current escalation is the central variable on which everything else depends. Both sides’ officials suggested Wednesday that the diplomatic channel had not been formally closed. But the distance between that formal position and the conditions that would allow meaningful talks to resume has widened considerably with each strike and counter-strike that has marked this day.

AP/Reuters

Cargo Plane Carrying 5 People Disappears Off Pakistan Coast During Flight From UAE

Zipporah Njoki

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July 7, 2026

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Cargo Plane Carrying 5 People Disappears Off Pakistan Coast During Flight From UAE

Search and rescue teams launched a major operation in the Arabian Sea after a Pakistan registered cargo aircraft carrying five crew members disappeared Tuesday night while approaching Karachi following a reported navigation system malfunction.

The Boeing 737 freighter, operated by K2 Airways, was flying from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates to Karachi when it encountered technical difficulties before vanishing from radar, aviation officials said.

The Pakistan Airports Authority said the crew reported a navigation system problem at about 9:18 p.m. local time while en route to Karachi.

Air traffic controllers attempted to guide the aircraft after receiving the distress report. However, radar data indicated the plane made a sudden change in direction before rapidly losing altitude approximately three minutes later.

Communication with the aircraft was lost about 155 nautical miles, or roughly 287 kilometers, west of Karachi.

Authorities immediately activated Pakistan’s Rescue Coordination Center and launched a coordinated search involving military and civilian agencies across the Arabian Sea.

Officials said the Pakistan Navy diverted the frigate PNS Zulfiqar to the area where the aircraft disappeared. The Pakistan Air Force also deployed aircraft, while a Pakistan Navy ATR surveillance aircraft departed from Turbat to assist in the search.

A vessel operated by the Pakistan National Shipping Corporation also joined the operation.

K2 Airways said it is cooperating fully with the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority and other government agencies investigating the disappearance.

“We continue to pray earnestly for the safety of our colleagues,” the airline said in a public statement.

Flight tracking information reviewed by Reuters indicated the aircraft experienced a series of unusual altitude changes before its final descent.

According to Flightradar24, the aircraft descended approximately 5,000 feet in less than one minute, briefly climbed about 6,000 feet within 30 seconds, and then entered a steep final descent.

The last transmitted data placed the aircraft at about 1,100 feet above sea level while descending at an exceptionally high rate.

Anthony Brickhouse, an aerospace safety consultant, said the flight data showed highly unusual aircraft behavior but cautioned against drawing conclusions before investigators recover additional evidence.

“It is too soon to determine what caused the aircraft to disappear,” he said.

Local aviation analyst Imran Aslam also expressed surprise at the reported flight profile, noting that even aircraft experiencing engine failure would normally glide rather than descend so abruptly.

The aircraft involved was a Boeing 737 400 freighter, a converted cargo aircraft from Boeing’s earlier generation 737 family. Flight tracking records indicate it originally entered service as a passenger aircraft before being converted into a cargo plane in 2012.

According to Flightradar24, the aircraft entered service with K2 Airways in 2024 and was the airline’s only aircraft.

What We Know So Far

The cargo aircraft departed Sharjah for Karachi carrying five crew members.

The crew reported a navigation system malfunction shortly before contact with air traffic controllers was lost.

Radar data showed sudden altitude fluctuations followed by a rapid descent over the Arabian Sea west of Karachi.

No distress signal beyond the reported navigation issue has been publicly disclosed, and authorities have not confirmed whether the aircraft crashed.

Search operations involving naval vessels, military aircraft and civilian agencies remain underway.

What Authorities Are Saying

Pakistan Airports Authority said search and rescue efforts were launched immediately after radar and radio contact with the aircraft ended.

K2 Airways said it is cooperating with investigators while expressing hope for the safety of the crew.

Aviation experts cautioned that the available flight data alone cannot determine the cause of the incident and stressed that a formal investigation will be required if the aircraft is located.

Why This Matters

The disappearance has renewed attention on aviation safety in Pakistan, where the country’s last major commercial aviation disaster occurred in 2020 when a Pakistan International Airlines passenger aircraft crashed while attempting to land in Karachi, killing 97 people. A government investigation later concluded that pilot error and failures in air traffic control procedures contributed to the tragedy.

Although cargo aircraft generally operate under different commercial conditions than passenger airlines, unexplained losses remain rare and typically trigger extensive international aviation investigations.

The incident also raises questions about the aircraft’s reported navigation system malfunction and whether mechanical failure, environmental conditions or another factor contributed to the disappearance. Aviation investigators are expected to analyze radar records, maintenance history, communications and any recovered flight recorders if wreckage is located.

What Happens Next

Search teams are expected to continue operations across the Arabian Sea until the aircraft or evidence of its location is found.

If wreckage is recovered, Pakistani aviation authorities are expected to launch a formal accident investigation, potentially with technical assistance from international aviation experts and the aircraft manufacturer.

Authorities have not released the identities of the five crew members, and no information has been provided regarding possible survivors.

Sources: The Associated Press (AP); Reuters

U.S. Launches New Strikes Against Iran And Revokes Oil License After Three Ships Hit In Strait Of Hormuz

Omonigho Daibo

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July 7, 2026

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U.S. Launches New Strikes Against Iran And Revokes Oil License After Three Ships Hit In Strait Of Hormuz

WASHINGTON — The United States launched a fresh wave of military strikes against Iran early Wednesday and revoked a license that had authorized Iranian oil sales as part of the interim peace deal, after three merchant ships were struck in the Strait of Hormuz in the most serious single-day assault on commercial shipping since late April, threatening to unravel a ceasefire that was already showing severe signs of strain.

The escalation came as hundreds of thousands of mourners gathered in the Iranian holy city of Qom for the funeral processions of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, killed on the war’s first day, adding a combustible emotional dimension to an already volatile diplomatic moment.

What We Know So Far

U.S. Central Command announced the strikes in a statement on social media early Wednesday, saying American forces had acted to “impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway.” The statement was direct and unambiguous. “Iran’s demonstrated aggression was unwarranted, dangerous, and a clear violation of the ceasefire,” CENTCOM said.

Iranian state media reported explosions in the early morning hours in the southern port city of Sirik, on Qeshm Island, and in Bandar Abbas, without providing immediate details on casualties or structural damage.

The three tanker strikes had occurred in waters off the coasts of Oman and the neighboring United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center confirmed, indicating the ships were most likely using the route near Oman that U.S. and multinational maritime authorities had designated as safe for commercial traffic.

The most severe of the three incidents involved a Qatari liquefied natural gas tanker, the Al Rekayyat, which was struck by a drone that caused a fire in its engine room as the vessel traveled south through the strait near Limah, Oman.

The crew were safe and being evacuated, Reuters confirmed. A second tanker, believed to be the Saudi-flagged supertanker Wedyan, was damaged off Oman, maritime security sources said. A third vessel was struck by a drone separately and sustained damage but continued on its way without reported injuries.

Iranian state television said the LNG tanker had come under attack after ignoring warnings but did not directly claim responsibility for the assault. Iran’s foreign ministry later said Qatar’s accusations were “perplexing” and asserted that commercial vessels faced risks for using routes not coordinated with Tehran, Reuters noted.

Qatar’s response was immediate and formal. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari summoned Iran’s deputy ambassador and handed him a protest note, describing the attack on the Al Rekayyat as an “unacceptable attack” on international navigation and global energy security and a “serious and explicit violation” of international law. Al-Ansari said Qatar holds Iran “fully legally responsible” for the assault.

Hours after the tanker strikes, the U.S. Treasury revoked the general license it had issued on June 22 authorizing the production, delivery, and sale of Iranian crude oil and petrochemical products through August 21.

Iran was given until July 17 to wind down any transactions conducted under the license. Oil prices rose more than three percent following the announcement, Reuters confirmed.

A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to explain the administration’s reasoning to the Associated Press, said the license was revoked because Iran’s actions in the strait were unacceptable and needed to be met with consequences.

Iran’s foreign ministry condemned the revocation, saying it breached the framework agreement to end the war and warning that Washington would bear full responsibility for the consequences. The ministry added early Wednesday that Iran would take any measure it deemed necessary to safeguard its interests and national security.

What Authorities Are Saying

President Trump had set the tone for Wednesday’s military action on Monday when he told reporters in the Oval Office: “We’re either going to make a deal or we’re going to finish the job. We can knock down their bridges in one hour, we can knock out their energy supply.”

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded by warning that under the terms of the interim ceasefire memorandum, negotiations on a final deal “would not commence if threats continue,” a statement that reflected Tehran’s reading of the agreement as a bilateral commitment rather than a one-sided concession.

Iran’s foreign ministry separately said the decision to revoke the oil license violated the interim deal and that the U.S. bore responsibility for the consequences. Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, posted on X that the new American strikes themselves constituted a violation of the ceasefire agreement.

A second U.S. official, speaking anonymously, told Reuters that initial assessments indicated Iran had fired at the three commercial vessels, which would place direct state responsibility for the shipping attacks on Tehran rather than proxy forces or unaffiliated actors.

A separate U.S. official told the Associated Press that negotiators had continued working in good faith toward a final agreement with Iran, suggesting the administration was attempting to maintain a dual track of military pressure and diplomatic engagement simultaneously.

Why This Matters

The convergence of events on Tuesday and Wednesday, tanker strikes, U.S. military retaliation, the oil license revocation, and the funeral of Iran’s slain supreme leader, represents the most acute crisis moment in the U.S.-Iran peace process since the interim memorandum was signed.

The strait’s importance to the global economy cannot be overstated. In peacetime, a fifth of all traded oil and natural gas passes through the channel, according to the Associated Press.

The fresh attacks on Wednesday were the most in a single day since late April, the United Nations International Maritime Organization confirmed, and their impact on shipping confidence was immediate.

Data firm Kpler reported that at least 108 ships had crossed the strait the previous weekend using various routes, a sign that traffic had been recovering.

Whether that recovery continues or reverses in response to Wednesday’s events will determine how quickly the global economic relief promised by the interim deal materializes.

The core disagreement over the strait’s governance has never been fully resolved by the interim agreement and now threatens to sink it entirely.

Iran insists it has the right to approve vessel routes, demand registration with Tehran for northbound traffic, and eventually charge fees for passage through what it considers waters under its sovereignty.

The United States, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and other Gulf states maintain the strait is an international waterway where Iran has no authority to impose unilateral conditions or charges.

That fundamental legal and strategic disagreement was papered over rather than resolved in the interim deal’s text, and it is now asserting itself with deadly consequences for the ships caught between the two positions.

The revocation of the oil sales license is a meaningful economic blow to Tehran. Iranian oil sanctions had been in place since the 1979 revolution, and the temporary authorization was one of the most tangible concessions the United States had offered as an incentive for Iranian cooperation.

Removing it before the 60-day negotiating period has elapsed signals that Washington is prepared to use economic leverage as a punitive tool even during what is supposed to be a negotiating window, a posture that significantly complicates Iran’s calculations about the value of continued engagement.

The funeral atmosphere in Iran added a dimension that purely transactional analysis cannot fully capture. Hundreds of thousands of mourners in Qom carried flags comparing Khamenei to revered Shiite martyrs and chanted vows of vengeance, with some bearing banners reading “Kill Trump,” Reuters confirmed. Iran’s clerical leadership has used the mourning period to demonstrate domestic control and rally public sentiment in ways that narrow the political space available to any Iranian negotiator who might otherwise seek compromise.

Iran’s new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, the slain leader’s son, had not appeared publicly at any of the funeral ceremonies as of Wednesday and was believed to be in hiding following reports that he had been wounded in the same airstrike that killed his father. His absence from the public stage at such a politically critical moment adds further uncertainty to the question of who is actually directing Iran’s decision-making on the straits and in the negotiations.

What Happens Next

Khamenei’s body was expected to arrive in the Iraqi Shiite holy cities of Najaf and Karbala for further processions on Wednesday before being returned to Iran for burial Thursday at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, his birthplace. U.S. officials had indicated that serious negotiations would not resume until after the burial, a timeline that pushes meaningful diplomatic engagement toward the end of the week at the earliest.

A previous round of indirect talks in Qatar ended last week without signs of headway toward a lasting peace agreement, Reuters confirmed. The revocation of the oil license and the new military strikes have significantly raised the temperature heading into whatever talks follow the burial, making a return to the negotiating table harder to orchestrate rather than easier.

Trump’s warning that the United States would “finish the job” if a deal is not reached remains on the table as explicit presidential policy. Whether that threat accelerates Iranian decision-making toward compromise or hardens Tehran’s position against what it characterizes as coercive diplomacy is the central question that the coming days will answer.

For the global economy, the answer matters urgently. The ships waiting to transit the Strait of Hormuz, the energy prices rising in response to Wednesday’s news, and the companies assessing whether the route is safe enough to use, are all waiting for the same thing: an indication that the two governments involved have chosen negotiation over escalation as their primary response to a crisis that their interim agreement was supposed to be resolving.

AP/Reuters

Messi Breaks Down In Tears After Argentina Stage Greatest World Cup Comeback, Beating Egypt 3-2 From Two Goals Down

Simeon Bateren

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July 7, 2026

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Messi Breaks Down In Tears After Argentina Stage Greatest World Cup Comeback, Beating Egypt 3-2 From Two Goals Down

ATLANTA, Georgia — Lionel Messi was in tears at the final whistle Tuesday after Argentina produced one of the most extraordinary comebacks in World Cup history, scoring three times in the final eleven minutes to beat Egypt 3-2 and reach the quarterfinals, keeping alive the defending champions’ dream of becoming the first back-to-back World Cup winners since Brazil in 1958 and 1962.

Trailing 2-0 with just 14 minutes of normal time remaining at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Argentina refused to accept elimination. Cristian Romero halved the deficit in the 79th minute, Messi leveled with a ferocious strike four minutes later, and Enzo Fernandez headed the winner in the second minute of stoppage time to complete a comeback that left Egypt heartbroken and the football world stunned.

It is the first time in World Cup history that a team has won a knockout match in regulation time after trailing by two goals as late as the 75th minute, ESPN confirmed.

What We Know So Far

Egypt made the perfect start, taking a shock lead in the 15th minute when Yasser Ibrahim powered a header from a corner into the far corner past goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, Reuters confirmed.

Egypt goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir then produced the save of the tournament’s early rounds, stopping a Messi penalty to maintain the lead and hand the Argentine captain an unwanted record as the first player in World Cup history to miss two penalties in a single edition, having also failed from the spot against Austria in the group stage.

Argentina continued to press without reward. Messi hit the post from a free kick when the score stood at 1-0. Alexis Mac Allister had a close-range header saved by Shobeir. Julian Alvarez was denied by a spectacular Shobeir reaction stop. The Argentine pressure was relentless but the Egyptian goalkeeper was equal to everything.

Egypt doubled their lead in the 67th minute. Mohamed Salah’s precise pass released Mostafa Zico on the counter, and his close-range finish gave Egypt a 2-0 advantage that appeared insurmountable with less than a quarter of the match remaining, the Associated Press confirmed. A nearly identical goal from Egypt had earlier been ruled out following a video review, making the eventual second goal feel almost inevitable.

What followed was extraordinary. Romero connected with a Messi delivery to pull one back in the 79th minute with a free header. Four minutes later, Messi received the ball at the edge of the area and struck a shot too powerful for Shobeir to keep out, leveling at 2-2. With extra time seemingly inevitable, Lautaro Martinez broke into space and crossed for Fernandez, whose stoppage-time header completed the most improbable of victories.

Messi’s goal was his eighth of the tournament, his 21st in World Cup history, and came in his ninth consecutive World Cup match in which he has found the net, a record of sustained knockout stage brilliance dating back to Argentina’s 2022 title run, the Associated Press confirmed. He now leads the Golden Boot standings by one goal over Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland.

Argentina will face either Switzerland or Colombia in the quarterfinals in Kansas City, Missouri on Saturday.

What The Coaches And Players Are Saying

The emotional release at the final whistle told its own story. Messi, who had looked as though his World Cup career might be ending when Egypt led 2-0, was seen with tears streaming down his face as teammates celebrated around him, the Sun reported.

The 39-year-old had carried the weight of what appeared to be impending elimination for the match’s most difficult hour, missing a penalty, hitting the post, and watching his team’s attacking play consistently repelled by an inspired Egyptian goalkeeper, before finding the moment that kept everything alive.

Egypt goalkeeper Shobeir had been exceptional throughout and could do little about any of Argentina’s three late goals. His penalty saves and multiple outstanding stops had given Egypt every reason to believe they were producing the tournament’s biggest upset before the final minutes stripped that belief away.

Egypt’s players will reflect on a performance that delivered two goals, a performance of genuine quality against the world champions, and still ended in defeat. For a nation making its first World Cup round of 16 appearance, the loss will sting in proportion to how close the victory felt.

Why This Matters

Tuesday’s result confirmed several things simultaneously about this Argentina team and about Messi specifically.

First, Argentina’s capacity to find something extraordinary when facing elimination is not coincidence. The defending champions have now survived two successive scares in this tournament, both times producing late goals to avoid the exit that seemed imminent. A team of lesser mental strength would have collapsed under the weight of a 2-0 deficit with Egypt’s goalkeeper in the form Shobeir was showing. This Argentina side found three goals anyway.

Second, Messi’s personal record in knockout football continues to defy conventional understanding of what an athlete approaching 40 can sustain at the highest level. His goal Tuesday was scored in the 83rd minute of a World Cup round of 16 match while his team trailed by a goal, in a ninth consecutive World Cup match in which he has scored, accumulating 13 goals across that nine-game span, ESPN confirmed.

The composure of the finish, struck hard and low from the edge of the area in a moment of near-maximum pressure, was the act of someone who performs better rather than worse when elimination is the alternative.

Third, the miss record is a genuine blemish on the tournament. Messi has now failed to score on four of his eight World Cup penalty attempts in regulation, a statistic that will follow the narrative of this run. But the extraordinary nature of his scoring record in open play, and the specific importance of Tuesday’s goal, will define the story more than the missed spot kicks.

For Egypt, the defeat ends a tournament that already exceeded every expectation. The Pharaohs reached the round of 16 for the first time in their history. They led the reigning world champions 2-0 in a knockout match. Their goalkeeper was outstanding. They were beaten by three goals in eleven minutes by a team that refuses to lose, which is a different kind of defeat from being outplayed.

The prospect of Argentina becoming the first back-to-back World Cup champions in 63 years remains alive. Whether they can sustain this level against Switzerland or Colombia, and potentially beyond, depends on whether they can avoid the defensive moments that allowed Egypt to build a 2-0 lead in the first place.

What Happens Next

Argentina will face either Switzerland or Colombia in the quarterfinals in Kansas City, Missouri on Saturday. The result of that match will determine which opponent Messi and his teammates must overcome to reach the semifinals.

The Golden Boot race now features three players on seven or eight goals, with Messi on eight, Mbappe on seven, and Haaland on seven, all still active in the competition. The quarterfinals will further define that contest.

For Argentina, the immediate focus will be recovery after the emotional and physical toll of Tuesday’s final minutes. For Messi, the tears at the final whistle reflected both the relief of survival and perhaps the dawning awareness that the career he has built across 20 years of World Cup participation may yet have one more extraordinary chapter left to write.

ESPN/AP/Reuters/TheSun/Flashscoreusa

Morocco Foils Alleged Islamic State Linked Attack Plot, Arrests 10 Suspects

Zipporah Njoki

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July 7, 2026

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Moroccan authorities said they have dismantled an alleged militant cell linked to the Islamic State affiliate in the Sahel, arresting 10 suspects accused of planning attacks on sensitive facilities and public security targets across the country.

The arrests were carried out during coordinated counterterrorism operations in the cities of Agadir, Taroudant, Casablanca, Hajeb, Tetouan, Fqih Ben Salah and Safi, Morocco’s Central Bureau for Judicial Investigations, known as BCIJ, announced Monday.

Investigators said preliminary findings indicate the suspects had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State organization and were receiving direct instructions from the group’s affiliate operating in the Sahel region.

Authorities allege the group was preparing attacks against strategic locations in Morocco, although officials did not disclose the specific targets.

During searches conducted at multiple locations, security personnel recovered bladed weapons, military style clothing, documents containing instructions for manufacturing explosive devices, digital storage materials and chemical substances believed to be linked to the investigation.

Investigators also seized a modified vehicle that authorities suspect was being prepared for use in either a vehicle ramming attack or a suicide bombing operation.

The suspects remain under investigation as authorities work to determine the full extent of the alleged network and identify any additional individuals connected to the case.