Trump declares ceasefire ‘over’ after US and Iran exchange overnight strikes

Updated by Faith Barbara N Ruhinda at 1215 EAT on Wednesday 8 July 2026

The US military says it has resumed strikes on Iran in response to attacks on three commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

The first vessel identified by the United States, Al Rekayyat, is a Qatar-owned liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker. BBC Verify reported that the vessel was struck by a projectile off the coast of Oman on 6 July while passing through the strategic waterway.

The impact sparked a fire on board, although no casualties have been reported. The vessel had its automatic identification system (AIS) location signal switched off while crossing the strait and was last seen in satellite imagery on 22 June near Qatar’s main LNG export facility.

The second vessel, Wedyan, is a Saudi-owned crude oil tanker carrying Saudi crude. Its AIS signal has reportedly been switched off since 3 July.

The third vessel cited by the US, Cyprus Prosperity, is a Liberia-flagged crude oil tanker that transited the strait with its location data active while carrying oil to Fujairah port in the United Arab Emirates.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) has confirmed three maritime incidents but has not identified the vessels involved. The British maritime security authority said no casualties or environmental damage have been reported.

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday declared the US-Iran ceasefire “over” after being asked about the future of the agreement during the NATO summit in Ankara.

The comments came at around 09:15 BST after a reporter asked whether the ceasefire had ended and whether the memorandum of understanding (MoU) that led to the truce was still in effect.

“It’s a very interesting question. To me, I think it’s over,” Trump said.

Trump accused Iran’s leadership of acting in bad faith during negotiations, saying he no longer wanted to engage with Tehran, although he acknowledged that US negotiators remained open to talks.

“I’ll speak to our negotiators. They want to negotiate, they’re good people — Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner — but they have to come back to me,” he said.

Trump claimed previous discussions had broken down after agreements reached with Iran were publicly disputed by Iranian officials.

“We make a deal. Everyone’s agreed, no nuclear weapon. Then they go outside, talk to the press, and say, ‘We never even talked about it,’” he said.

Asked whether negotiations would resume, Trump said Iran was free to continue talks but suggested they would not be productive.

“I don’t care, they can talk. But I think they’re wasting their time,” he said.

Pressed further after declaring the US ceasefire with Iran “over”, President Donald Trump said his negotiating team could continue discussions but suggested such efforts would not be productive.

“They can talk, but I think they’re wasting their time,” Trump said.

He added that he personally did not want to continue engaging in negotiations with Tehran, while leaving the door open for his representatives to pursue further talks.

“Frankly, I don’t want to waste my time with them,” Trump said. “I’ll let our wonderful negotiators keep talking if they want, but I don’t see it.”

President Donald Trump praised NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte while expressing frustration with the military alliance, saying he was not satisfied with its response to the Iran conflict.

Speaking alongside Rutte, Trump accused NATO allies of failing to support the United States against Iran, which he described as “the number one state sponsor of terror”.

“I’m very upset with NATO,” Trump said, claiming that the US contributes too much financially to the alliance.

“We pay too much, billions and billions of dollars too much,” he added.

Speaking at the NATO summit in Turkey, US President Donald Trump described Iran’s leadership as “evil people” and called the regime “crazy”, while reiterating Washington’s position that Tehran must not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons.

Trump referenced recent attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, as well as reported strikes on targets in Kuwait and Bahrain, as evidence of what he described as Iran’s continued aggression.

“These are evil, sick people,” Trump said. “They’re cancer, and you know what you have to do — you have to cut out cancer early.”

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has accused the United States of a “flagrant violation” of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) that led to the ceasefire.

In a statement, Araghchi said US strikes, the reinstatement of sanctions on Iranian oil exports and Israel’s ongoing conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon had undermined “important and fundamental parts” of the agreement, rendering them ineffective.

He said Iran “will not hesitate” to defend its “integrity, national sovereignty and national security”.

In a warning directed at Gulf countries hosting US military bases, Araghchi said Iran would “target the source and point of origin” of any attacks launched against it.

-BBC

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