The deal, which Trump’s team had touted for weeks as progress toward stability, collapsed in a matter of hours.

U.S. Central Command launched strikes on Iran after the tanker attacks. According to Reuters, American forces hit more than 80 Iranian targets — air defense systems, command and control centers, radar installations, missile facilities, and more than 60 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps boats operating in and around the strait.

Iran’s response: a barrage against U.S. military installations in Bahrain and Kuwait.

The IRGC claimed it struck 85 U.S. military facilities in the Gulf, according to AFP citing Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB. In Bahrain, targets included facilities associated with the U.S. Fifth Fleet. Kuwait reported two ballistic missiles and 13 drones in its airspace.

Trump called Iranian leaders “scum” and “sick people” and argued that if Iran obtained a nuclear weapon, it would use it.

President Trump declared negotiations effectively over Wednesday and made clear the U.S. would respond with force. At the NATO summit in Ankara, Trump said the U.S. would “probably” strike Iran again Wednesday night — and quickly made good on that threat. U.S. forces launched a second round of strikes Wednesday night, continuing into Thursday.

Trump also raised the possibility of restoring a blockade that would apply only to Iran. The president warned Iran could respond by laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz.

Talks had already been frozen during the funeral ceremonies for the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which concluded Thursday with his burial in Mashhad. During the six-day mourning period, crowds chanted “Death to America,” called for revenge against the United States and Israel, and directed violent chants at President Trump.

The memorandum of understanding had been intended to reduce hostilities while talks continued over Iran’s nuclear program and navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. The regime’s attacks on commercial shipping and U.S. installations — multiple violations U.S. officials say shredded the deal — have pushed the conflict back toward direct military escalation.

Iran tested the wrong president. Trump’s response has been swift, overwhelming, and unambiguous.

The attack, which occurred early Sunday local time, comes after the collapse of a fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran. It also comes less than 48 hours after the Trump administration demanded that Iran guarantee safe passage for ships traveling through the strait.

One civilian crew member is missing. The ship, the GFS Galaxy, is a Cyprus-flagged container vessel now dead in the water with significant engineroom damage and an onboard fire.

“The Strait of Hormuz is closed until further notice and until the end of America’s interventions in the region, and no vessel will be permitted to pass through.”

That statement came from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps navy via Telegram, according to German state outlet Deutsche Welle. The Guard claimed the ship was struck by one of several “warning shots” fired at vessels moving through an unauthorized route.

The Guard’s statement continued that any “new act of aggression against us … will be met with a severe response, and new enemy bases in the region will be targeted.”

The United States didn’t wait for another threat.

At 7:39 p.m. Saturday, U.S. Central Command announced it had launched fresh strikes on Iran in response to the incident. CENTCOM identified the vessel as the GFS Galaxy and confirmed a civilian crew member was missing.

At 7:15 p.m. ET today, U.S. Central Command forces began launching the third round of strikes this week against Iran after Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces blatantly attacked M/V GFS Galaxy, a Cyprus-flagged container ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz. A civilian crew…

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 11, 2026

“Iran was provided yet another opportunity to demonstrate adherence to the Memorandum of Understanding after being held accountable for earlier attacks on commercial vessels but has again failed,” CENTCOM posted on X.

“In response, the United States is imposing a heavy cost by continuing to degrade Iran’s ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial ships freely transiting the strait,” CENTCOM continued. “The strikes are being carried out at the direction of the Commander in Chief.”

As of 9 p.m. Saturday, President Donald Trump has not publicly addressed the incident.

The timing couldn’t be worse for Iran’s diplomatic theater. The attack occurred just hours after Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi concluded negotiations in Oman to resolve the Hormuz standoff with his Omani and Qatari counterparts.

A diplomat told Axios that Oman had proposed the full reopening of all shipping lanes before Iran struck the vessel in the strait’s southern shipping route through Oman’s territorial waters — the very route the U.S. urges mariners to use when passing through the strait.

Iran just proved why Trump doesn’t take bad deals.

“I’ve left instructions — if anything happens, to just literally bomb them at levels that they’ve never seen before,” Trump told the New York Post.

“I’ve been on their list for a long time. That’s what we’re dealing with. The only thing is, I’ve left instructions — if anything happens, to just literally bomb them at levels that they’ve never seen before.”

The president made similar remarks Wednesday while discussing the threats.

“They want to take out the U.S. leader — me. I’m on whatever list. I saw this morning I’m on every single one of their lists,” Trump said. “And, so far, I guess I’ve been a bit lucky, but maybe that doesn’t last very long. These are evil, sick people. And we have to root out that cancer. That cancer. You know what you do? You’ve got to cut out cancer early.”

Trump’s comments come after Iranian regime supporters displayed open threats against him at state-organized funeral ceremonies for former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei this week.

A massive banner reading “We Will Kill Trump” was carried through crowds escorting Khamenei’s body to its final resting place at the Shrine of Imam Reza in Mashhad on Thursday.

Photos of the threats went viral across social media — posters depicting Trump with crosshairs over his face alongside the warning “There Will Be Blood,” giant banners promising rewards of up to $120 million for his assassination, and a black wall emblazoned with the hashtag “#WeWillKillTrump.”

Iranian poet Mohammad Rasouli, serving as the official master of ceremonies on July 5, asked the crowd over loudspeakers: “Why is the most bastard man in the world still alive? … Why should we not kill the man who killed our imam? It would be a disgrace if we did not.”

Rasouli then led attendees in a chant declaring, “Trump’s murder is our responsibility.”

Last month, members of Iran’s Assembly of Experts — the powerful clerical body that chose Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran’s new supreme leader following his father’s passing — appeared to endorse targeting President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, declaring that anyone who gains access to the two leaders is obligated to “send them to hell.”

“That would be a terrible thing for them to do. Not because of me, because if they did that, they would be obliterated. That would be the end. I’ve left instructions — if they do it, they get obliterated. There won’t be anything left.”

Trump also mentioned his contingency plan in February 2025 — before the last two conflicts with Iran — while signing an executive order restoring maximum pressure sanctions on the regime.

Iranian regime supporters have openly vowed revenge against Trump since the 2020 U.S. strike that eliminated Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Qasem Soleimani.

In November 2024, the Justice Department unsealed charges against Farhad Shakeri, an alleged asset of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps accused of participating in a plot against then-candidate Trump. According to court documents, Iranian officials directed Shakeri to develop a plan and indicated that “money’s not an issue” when discussing the operation.

The alleged architect of the plot, Rahman Mokadam, head of the IRGC’s Special Operations Division, was reportedly eliminated during Operation Epic Fury in March.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the operation initially focused on Iranian missile capabilities, but individuals tied to threats against the United States were eventually added to the target list.

“We’ve known for a long time that Iran had intentions to target President Trump, while that wasn’t the focus of the effort by any stretch of the imagination, never was raised by the president or anybody else,” Hegseth said. “I ensured, and others ensured that they were eventually part of the target list.”

The threats come amid escalating hostilities between Washington and Tehran. This week, the United States and Iran exchanged attacks across the region, with American forces striking more than 100 Iranian-linked targets and Tehran launching attacks against U.S. military installations and commercial shipping.

On Wednesday, Trump declared the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding effectively over after Iranian attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

“They’re scum. They’re sick people,” Trump said when asked whether the agreement could be salvaged. “These people, they lie, and they cheat.”

However, on Friday, Trump announced that Iran had requested to continue negotiations.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran has asked us to continue ‘talks.’ We have agreed to do so, but the United States has stated to them, in no uncertain terms, that the Cease Fire is OVER!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“Bomb them at levels that they’ve never seen before.”

That’s the instruction Trump said he’s left behind should Iran carry out its assassination threats, according to the New York Post. The president acknowledged Iran has targeted him “for a long time,” adding with characteristic defiance: “I hope you’ll miss me.”

“I hope you’ll miss me.”

Trump’s stark warning comes after Israeli intelligence shared details of a new suspected Iranian plot to kill the president, CNN reported. U.S. officials said the details remain unclear and unvetted, and American agencies had not been tracking the alleged plot before Israel’s alert.

Trump tells The Post he’s ‘left instructions’ should Iran succeed in assassinating him: ‘Number 1’ target https://t.co/EPjQubEJYxpic.twitter.com/hEEg8enWgW

— New York Post (@nypost) July 10, 2026

The president downplayed the latest intelligence when asked about it by the Post.

“No, no. Israel came up with nothing. No, no,” he said. “I’ve been No. 1 [on Iran’s kill list] for a long time, and it’s the way life is, you know.”

The threats against Trump are not new. Iranians unfurled a banner reading “WE WILL KILL TRUMP” during burial processions for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the New York Post reported July 9.

In 2021, Khamenei appeared to threaten Trump’s life by reposting an image calling for “vengeance” on X. Iran also vowed revenge against Trump if he was not put on trial for ordering the strike that took out General Qassem Soleimani, Reuters reported in January 2022.

Trump has vowed to continue striking Iran as long as the regime attacks shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. The operation has reportedly been dubbed “Operation B**** Slap” by the president’s advisors, according to the New York Post.

“He still wants this thing to be over. But if Iran is shooting at ships, he’s not just gonna sit there and do nothing,” a source close to the White House told the outlet.

Returning from a NATO summit in Turkey Wednesday, Trump said the U.S. would win its war with Iran “very quickly.”

On Friday, Trump declared the ceasefire with Iran over and said the U.S. would keep negotiating an end to the conflict, CBS News reported. The U.S. has already struck 90 Iranian military targets, prompting Iran to threaten retaliation, according to Fox News.

Iran is negotiating from total weakness — and Trump knows it.

After weeks of restraint and diplomatic outreach, the president declared the ceasefire with Iran “over” Wednesday and ordered intensive U.S. airstrikes against strategic targets across the Islamic Republic. Trump also reimposed crippling sanctions on Iranian oil exports. His message was unmistakable: the mullahs gambled and lost.

“A waste of time” — Trump on further talks with Iran’s leaders after repeated ceasefire violations

The strikes were a major escalation. U.S. forces hit about 90 Iranian targets, according to CENTCOM, degrading the regime’s ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. Precision operations targeted missile production facilities, IRGC command centers, and nuclear-related infrastructure that survived earlier strikes. These were not attacks on civilians — they were surgical hits aimed at crippling the regime’s power projection.

The U.S. also struck a railway bridge in northern Iran’s Golestan province — a critical overland trade link to China and Russia that Tehran has leaned on to blunt the effect of the U.S. naval blockade on its Gulf ports. The strike is a stark reminder: Washington’s pressure campaign extends beyond the battlefield to the economic lifelines propping up the regime.

The reimposition of U.S. sanctions on Iranian oil sales will deliver immediate economic pain to a regime already reeling from plummeting revenue and mounting internal unrest. Trump’s special envoys to Iran, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, may continue to pursue diplomacy, but the president now sees little value in talks. He described further engagement with Iran’s leaders as “a waste of time.”

Iran’s leaders badly miscalculated. They assumed Trump’s desire to end foreign conflicts quickly — particularly with midterm elections approaching — gave them room to cheat. They violated ceasefire terms, continued proxy attacks through militias, disrupted shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, and strung along negotiators with empty promises while rebuilding their offensive capabilities in secret.

In doing so, the mullahs repeated the same mistake: underestimating American resolve when core interests are at stake.

Trump entered talks seeking a sustainable end to hostilities — having already destroyed Iran’s nuclear weapons program — but he will not accept a temporary pause that lets Iran rebuild.

This is classic Trump. His public willingness to float bold ideas keeps America’s adversaries off balance. But beneath the rhetoric is a clear America First calculus: peace through strength, not weakness. He will not accept a temporary pause that lets Iran rebuild its nuclear and missile programs, threaten the Strait of Hormuz, or continue funding terrorism. The goal remains ending the war rapidly — but on terms that protect U.S. and regional security interests, secure freedom of navigation, and deter future Iranian aggression.

The regime’s miscalculation was predictable. Years of weak Iran policies by prior Democratic and Republican presidents taught Tehran that the U.S. will make major concessions in its eagerness for a deal. Trump’s first term and the maximum-pressure campaign that followed proved otherwise, delivering the Abraham Accords and degrading Iranian capabilities without starting new endless wars.

The second term has followed the same pattern: engagement paired with overwhelming leverage. By violating the ceasefire, Iran tested whether Trump was so eager for peace that he would accept appeasement.

He will not.

It remains to be seen whether Iran’s broken regime will respond to these strikes by agreeing to a genuine, sustained ceasefire or by doubling down on defiance. Further escalation will bring only greater isolation and pain. Given Tehran’s recent record of deceit, Iranian leaders will have to demonstrate far more than words to convince President Trump that they are serious about a negotiated settlement.

The Iranian people deserve better than the corrupt, radical Islamist leadership that has impoverished and isolated them. America’s partners in the region deserve security, not constant threats of terrorism, missiles, and nuclear blackmail. Global markets deserve reliable energy flows.

President Trump’s decisive action this week reaffirms that the United States will not subsidize aggression through endless patience. Strength remains the surest path to peace.

Speaking aboard Air Force One returning from the NATO summit in Ankara Wednesday night, Trump revealed Tehran reached out after the latest round of U.S. strikes — the first American attacks on Iranian infrastructure since the April 8 ceasefire.

The strikes followed Iran’s attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

“THEY CALLED A LITTLE WHILE AGO. THEY WANT TO MAKE A DEAL SO BADLY. I JUST DON’T KNOW IF THEY’RE WORTHY OF MAKING A DEAL. I DON’T KNOW IF THEY’RE GOING TO HONOR THE DEAL. THAT’S THE PROBLEM.”

Asked why Iran would attack commercial ships if it wanted an agreement, Trump said the regime was “sort of crazy” and “a little bit out of control” — even as he confirmed Tehran was still seeking talks.

“They want to make a deal — badly,” he said.

Trump also delivered a stark warning: any future Iranian aggression will draw an even more crushing response.

“We just hit them very hard,” Trump said. “We hit them 20 to 1. Every time they hit us, we’re going to hit them twenty[-fold].”

U.S. Central Command announced American forces had completed the second round of strikes against Iran, saying the operation was designed to further degrade Tehran’s ability to attack commercial shipping and civilian mariners transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

CENTCOM said U.S. forces struck approximately 90 Iranian military targets, including air defense systems, coastal surveillance assets, missile and drone storage sites, naval capabilities, and military logistics infrastructure along Iran’s coastline.

The command said the operation followed the previous night’s strikes, during which U.S. forces hit approximately 80 Iranian military targets — including more than 60 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps small boats — after Iran attacked three commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz in violation of the ceasefire.

“U.S. forces remain vigilant, lethal, and prepared to execute operations directed by the Commander in Chief,” CENTCOM said.

A U.S. official told Axios that Wednesday’s operation included strikes on two railway bridges in northern Iran — marking the first reported U.S. attacks on Iranian infrastructure since the April 8 ceasefire. Other targets included coastal radar systems, anti-ship missile positions, air defenses, and other military assets tied to Iran’s operations near the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump framed the strikes as direct retaliation for Iran’s attacks on commercial shipping.

“This is in retribution for yesterday’s bombing of ships by Iran,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “If it happens again, it will get much worse!”

Vice President JD Vance described the administration’s posture in similar terms, saying the understanding with Tehran was that Washington would lift its blockade if Iran stopped attacking ships — but would respond with even greater force if the attacks resumed.

“IF YOU SHOOT AT SHIPS, WE ARE GOING TO PUNCH BACK, AND WE’RE GOING TO PUNCH BACK HARDER THAN EVER BEFORE.”

Iranian officials threatened retaliation, with Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warning, “If you strike, you’ll get hit.”

“America still hasn’t learned that bullying and breaking promises are no longer cost-free,” Ghalibaf wrote on X, insisting the Strait of Hormuz would open only under “Iranian arrangements,” not “American threats.”

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi warned the American strikes “will not go unanswered,” while Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran would “not answer vulgarity with vulgarity, but with action.”

Kuwait said its air defenses were intercepting hostile missile and drone attacks while air raid sirens sounded in Bahrain. Iranian forces had targeted U.S. military sites in both Gulf states following the previous night’s American strikes.

The latest escalation followed Iran’s attacks on three commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, which Washington described as a violation of the memorandum of understanding intended to halt hostilities, restore freedom of navigation through the strategic waterway, and create space for negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program.

Trump declared earlier Wednesday that he considered the ceasefire “over,” but said aboard Air Force One that Iran had nevertheless reached out seeking renewed negotiations — even as he questioned whether the regime could be trusted to honor any future agreement.

President Trump says Iran "called a little while ago."

"They want to make a deal so badly. I just don't know if they're worthy of making a deal. I don't know that they're going to honor the deal. That's the problem."pic.twitter.com/BIZQvc6WTk

— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) July 9, 2026

.@POTUS: "We just hit them very hard, and I say we hit them 20-to-1 — every time they hit us, we're going to hit them 20… When they hit, we hit back much harder." https://t.co/XIthjknwBH pic.twitter.com/8G2sHxZBNA

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 9, 2026

The United States reimposed oil sanctions on Iran Tuesday following reports of attacks on multiple vessels late Monday night and early Tuesday morning in the critical waterway.

“Iran will only reap benefits if they exhibit good behavior. Iran’s actions in the Strait were wholly unacceptable to the United States and will be met with consequences.”

A letter from the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control confirmed the license that temporarily lifted oil sanctions on Iran — issued just weeks ago on June 21 — has been revoked effective July 7, 2026.

A U.S. official told the Daily Caller that OFAC is revoking the general license that authorized the sale of Iranian oil, calling Iran’s actions “wholly unacceptable.”

The official emphasized the deal with Iran was “entirely performance-based” — Tehran only gets benefits if it behaves. Iran just proved it won’t.

Then Trump hit back harder.

Just before 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, U.S. Central Command announced the U.S. military had launched strikes against Iran in retaliation for the attacks.

“U.S. Central Command forces have begun launching a series of powerful strikes against Iran to impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway,” CENTCOM stated.

U.S. Central Command forces have begun launching a series of powerful strikes against Iran to impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway. pic.twitter.com/example123

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 7, 2026

CENTCOM called Iran’s aggression “unwarranted, dangerous, and a clear violation of the ceasefire.”

The attacks targeted three commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz — a chokepoint for global energy supplies. Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the strikes on the Qatari tanker Al Rekayyat, calling the attack “a grave violation of the safety of international navigation” and “a direct threat to global energy supply security.”

In late June, Trump announced the U.S. would temporarily lift oil sanctions on Iran after the Islamic Republic pledged to open the Strait of Hormuz and allow nuclear inspectors into the country. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center obtained three separate reports of attacks on vessels in the Strait — triggering the sanctions snapback.

Iran’s negotiators continue working toward a final deal, the U.S. official said. But the mullahs just learned the cost of breaking their word with this president.

Trump doesn’t lose to bullies.

BREAKING: The United States is revoking a general license that authorized the sale of Iranian oil, a U.S. official said on Tuesday, warning that Iran's actions in the Strait of Hormuz were "wholly unacceptable" and would be met with consequences after attacks on tankers in the…

— Jarrett Renshaw (@JarrettRenshaw) July 7, 2026

Ministry of Foreign Affairs Summons Iran's Deputy Ambassador, Delivers Protest Note Over Targeting of Qatari Tanker Al Rekayyat

Doha | July 7, 2026

The State of Qatar expressed its strong condemnation and denunciation of the targeting of the Qatari tanker Al Rekayyat while it… pic.twitter.com/f8wuU3kMv6

— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Qatar (@MofaQatar_EN) July 7, 2026

The timing wasn’t an accident.

Former U.S. military commanders told Fox News Digital that Iran is fighting to preserve one of its greatest strategic advantages: leverage over the Strait of Hormuz. And new shipping routes are chipping that leverage away.

“The southern route creates a route they can’t toll or control. They felt it necessary to attack it.”

Retired Navy Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery laid out the threat plainly.

For decades, Iran’s ability to threaten shipping through Hormuz has given the regime influence well beyond its borders. But that advantage is now under serious pressure.

Gulf states are investing heavily in pipelines that bypass Hormuz entirely. The U.S. and Oman are expanding use of the southern corridor hugging Oman’s coastline — a route Iran can’t control.

Nearly half of inbound commercial traffic through the strait is already using that southern route, according to maritime intelligence firm Windward.

After Iran attacked vessels on the new corridor, the U.S. responded with strikes on Iranian military targets tied to maritime operations. Iran retaliated with attacks on U.S. facilities and regional partners before Trump announced both sides had agreed to halt strikes and return to negotiations in Doha.

Iran has denied that its negotiators would meet with U.S. officials in Qatar on Tuesday.

Former Navy Fifth Fleet commander Vice Adm. Kevin Donegan said Iran’s objective isn’t to halt shipping altogether — it’s to make the route “commercially unworkable.”

“These attacks on shipping to me aren’t random. They’re strategy,” Donegan told Fox News Digital, referring to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Iran only needs to keep insurance premiums high enough that commercial shipping companies remain reluctant to use the corridor.

“Their strategy is to enforce their control of the straits,” Donegan said, by driving up insurance costs while continuing to “test the U.S. resolve.”

The question now is whether Iran can translate military pressure into lasting influence over the strait.

Under the memorandum of understanding negotiated after the ceasefire, Iran, Oman, and the Gulf littoral states are expected to negotiate the strait’s “future administration and maritime services” while commercial traffic moves toll-free for 60 days.

President Donald Trump has insisted on social media that there will be “NO TOLLS” after the negotiating period expires, even though the memorandum itself does not explicitly guarantee that outcome. Asked about the discrepancy, Trump argued that “common sense” and the threat of renewed U.S. military action would keep Iran from interfering with commercial traffic.

Iran, however, has signaled a different vision. An IRGC-linked news outlet portrayed last-minute revisions to the agreement — including language governing the strait’s future administration and the temporary toll provision — as negotiating victories for Tehran.

America’s Gulf partners have made equally clear they are not interested in rewriting the status quo.

“The management of the strait was working fine before the conflict. Why should we now, as a result of a conflict, accept some novel arrangement?”

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan drew the line.

Former Assistant Secretary of State David Schenker said the negotiations reflect Iran’s effort to emerge from the conflict with “a new status quo in the Persian Gulf.”

But preserving leverage over the Strait is about more than commercial shipping.

“Iran is trying to basically step into that void,” said Clionadh Raleigh, executive director of the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data project.

Raleigh argued the conflict has left Gulf governments questioning whether “the U.S. is a partner that’s unreliable,” creating an opportunity for Tehran to argue that Gulf security should increasingly be managed by countries in the region rather than by Washington.

Those doubts are already reshaping regional strategy.

“They’re seeking to really develop their own defense posture,” Raleigh said. “And they’re also seeking alternative means for them to continue trade.”

Those efforts have been underway for years, but the latest conflict has accelerated them.

Saudi Arabia has invested heavily in the East-West Pipeline linking Gulf oil fields to the Red Sea, while the United Arab Emirates has expanded export capacity through Fujairah, allowing crude exports to bypass Hormuz altogether.

Every barrel that leaves the Gulf without transiting the strait — and every ship that safely uses the southern corridor — chips away at the leverage Iran has historically derived from one of the world’s most important maritime choke points.

If those alternatives continue to expand, Iran’s ability to wield the strait as a strategic pressure point could gradually diminish even if Hormuz itself remains one of the world’s most vital energy corridors.

The regime’s hedging came Monday as both sides prepared for high-level talks in Doha after Iran launched weekend attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz — attacks that briefly threatened to collapse the ceasefire framework signed just weeks ago.

“Mutual understanding is a two-way street. If the American side adheres to the agreement, we will also fulfill our commitments.”

Pezeshkian wrote the statement on X while simultaneously warning that Iran remains prepared to “defend decisively and fearlessly when it comes time to act” against what he called “unreasonable saber-rattling and baseless threats.”

President Trump announced Monday that Iran had requested another meeting in Doha, scheduled for Tuesday, after the weekend flare-up in the Strait.

“Iran has requested a meeting. It will take place tomorrow in Doha!” Trump wrote on Truth Social before telling reporters in the Oval Office the discussions would be “perhaps important, perhaps not.”

Trump made clear the administration’s objective remains unchanged despite Iran’s weekend violations.

“We are winning militarily. It’s almost won militarily, I would say,” Trump said. “It’s really very simple. It’s the denuclearization of Iran. We don’t want them to have a nuclear weapon, and they’re not going to have a nuclear weapon. And they’ve agreed to that, in all fairness.”

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will travel to Doha for the high-level meetings, with technical discussions scheduled on the sidelines.

Leavitt said the administration has upheld its commitments under the ceasefire while making clear that further Iranian attacks will be met with military force.

“As far as we’re concerned, we’re holding up our end of the ceasefire. Violence will be met with violence,” she said, adding that while the U.S. had responded to attacks on commercial shipping, “the president obviously wants to see the peace process play out.”

Iran publicly denied that direct negotiations are scheduled, contradicting Washington’s announcement.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said an Iranian expert delegation would travel to Doha to discuss implementation but insisted Tehran has “not yet entered the stage of negotiating a final agreement” and that “over the coming days, we will not have any negotiation meetings with the U.S. side at any level.”

Senior Iranian negotiator Kazem Gharibabadi likewise said reports of technical team meetings in Doha were “not confirmed.”

The renewed diplomatic push came after Iran launched attacks against commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend, prompting two rounds of U.S. retaliatory strikes against Iranian military targets.

Trump warned that continued Iranian ceasefire violations could force the United States to “militarily complete the job,” cautioning that the Islamic Republic “will no longer exist” if Washington is compelled to launch a broader military campaign.

Iran responded to the U.S. strikes by launching missile and drone attacks targeting U.S.-linked sites in Bahrain and Kuwait while accusing Washington of violating the memorandum.

The memorandum, signed earlier this month, established a 60-day framework for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, restoring commercial shipping through the strategic waterway, and beginning broader negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program, sanctions relief, frozen assets, and other outstanding issues.

Tuesday’s discussions are expected to focus on implementation of the agreement, even as Washington and Tehran continue to characterize the scope of the talks differently.

The charges remain allegations. The case has not been proven in court.

Iran requests meeting in Doha: pic.twitter.com/2ooBdoaoE3

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 29, 2026

.@POTUS on Iran: "The meeting in Doha is going to be perhaps important, perhaps not. We're going to find out… It's really very simple. It's the denuclearization of Iran. We don't want them to have a nuclear weapon — and they're not going to have a nuclear weapon." pic.twitter.com/EJO2IbGZty

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) June 29, 2026

The price fell nearly seven cents from a week ago, according to AAA. It marks the latest in a five-week slide that’s delivered real relief at the pump for American drivers.

$3.86 per gallon — the lowest price since March, when gas cost $3.88

Prices have steadily dropped since May 21, when the national average hit a record high for 2026 at $4.564 per gallon — the highest level at any point during either of President Donald Trump’s terms.

Except for a brief two-cent uptick last week, fuel costs have fallen for five consecutive weeks. Monday’s price was essentially flat compared to Sunday.

A month ago, regular gas averaged $4.391 per gallon nationwide. That means drivers are now saving 53 cents per gallon compared to 30 days ago.

The pace of the decline has slowed in recent days — Monday’s drop was just seven cents over the past week, compared to steeper drops earlier in June. But the overall trend continues to move in drivers’ favor as summer travel season kicks into high gear.

Seven days ago, gas was $3.929 per gallon. The steady downward march comes despite ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Strait of Hormuz and continued uncertainty in global oil markets.