Above photo: Elke Scholiers/Getty Images.
Washington renewed its deadly attacks on Iran this week.
Killing 17 people during negotiations under the framework of the Islamabad MoU.
The US warned of “grave consequences” if Iran engages in “hostile” activity in the Strait of Hormuz, including targeting tankers transiting the strategic waterway, Al-Arabiya reported on 11 July, citing sources.
Washington has also demanded a written commitment from Iran that it will not attack tankers in the strait again, according to informed sources who spoke with the Saudi news channel.
A US official speaking with Axios said: “We want them to publicly say that they will stop shooting at ships and explicitly, or at least implicitly, acknowledge that they screwed up.”
“We expect the Iranians to say … that every channel in the strait will be open and that it will be toll-free,” the official added.
In addition to the renewed US bombing, officials in Washington revoked a US Treasury sanctions waiver that would have allowed foreign countries and refiners to buy Iranian oil without penalty.
Although the US and Iran signed an MoU on 15 June, hostilities resumed this week during six days of mourning for the martyred Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei.
The Iranian leader was assassinated, along with his 14-month-old granddaughter and other family members, in an Israeli strike at the start of the war.
The MoU aimed to establish a route to end the unprovoked war initiated by US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on 28 February.
Earlier this week, three commercial tankers attempting to transit through the Strait of Hormuz were attacked. Tehran later accused the US of breaching the MoU by trying to guide the ships along an alternate route along the coast of Oman.
The US then launched hundreds of airstrikes on Iran across several days.
The strikes killed at least 17 people in six cities on Wednesday and Thursday.
Iran responded with ballistic missile attacks on US bases in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan.
“If the terrorist US military repeats its aggression, the other US bases in the region will not be safe from our heavy fire,” Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned.
Despite the return to hostilities, US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Washington and Tehran had agreed to continue talks, while also declaring the ceasefire ended.
“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! Thank you for your attention to this matter.” – President DONALD J. TRUMP pic.twitter.com/TzZikn1Cya
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) July 10, 2026
According to CBS News, US Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, special envoy Steve Witkoff, and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner will meet with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to continue the negotiations in Oman on Saturday.
The semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported that Araghchi has arrived in Oman, which has acted as a mediator, to discuss arrangements for ensuring the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz. Tasnim did not specify if Araghchi would meet with the US delegation.
Writing on X, the foreign minister said Iran had kept its word, but the US had violated the ceasefire.
Iran has so far kept its word, unlike the so-called U.S. Treasury Secretary who is violating Para 9 of the MoU.
That violation follows other violations and missteps by the United States.
Reality check: There can only be mutual compliance.
— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) July 11, 2026
Iran’s Fars news agency cited a source saying no negotiations would take place until the US retreated from its positions.
Trump also posted on social media saying he had ordered the US military to be prepared to launch strikes against Iran if Tehran attempted to assassinate him.
“1000 Missiles are Locked and Loaded and aimed at the Islamic Republic of Iran,” if it attempts “to assassinate, the sitting President of the United States of America, in this case, ME!,” he wrote on Truth Social.
Israel pressuring Washington for ‘green light’ to attack Iran, claims Tehran plotting Trump assassination
Israeli media claims Tel Aviv was ‘uninvolved’ in hundreds of US strikes on Iran over the past week
Tel Aviv is pressing Washington for a “green light” to resume strikes against the Islamic Republic, Israel’s Broadcasting Corporation (KAN) reported on 9 July, amid reports that say Israel has discovered an “Iranian plot” to kill Donald Trump.
KAN reports that Israeli officials estimate Iran and the US will continue exchanging strikes in the coming days. The current escalation is “limited to the US and Iran only, without any Israeli involvement,” the report added.
As a result, Israel is “seeking approval” to join in, according to KAN and other media outlets.
The Israeli broadcaster said the US is trying to maintain a “controlled” level of escalation with Iran that does not erupt into a full-scale war, and is avoiding strikes on Tehran’s energy infrastructure for now.
The KAN report states Tel Aviv is prepared to join any upcoming US strikes on Iran.
“We’re willing to do it again, if needed … should Washington seek help,” an Israeli source was cited as saying by the New York Post.
“We’ve proven that we stand with the US. I’m not sure it will be the interest of them — of the US that Israel will join on this — but, we realize that we need to stretch our muscles,” the source added.
On Thursday, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) claimed Tel Aviv gave Washington intelligence on a “fresh Iranian plan” to assassinate Trump.
“Israel shared new intelligence with the US that it said indicated a fresh Iranian plan to kill President Trump,” WSJ claimed, citing “people familiar with the matter.”
The Israeli Embassy in Washington refused to comment on the report.
Iran’s UN Mission did not respond to a request for comment, while the White House referred WSJ to what Trump claimed at the NATO summit in Ankara this week.
“They want to take out the US leader—me. I’m on every list. I saw this morning, I’m on every single one of their lists. And so far, I guess I’ve been a little bit lucky, but that maybe doesn’t last very long,” the US president told reporters on Wednesday.
Millions of Iranians demanded vengeance during the week-long funeral procession for the martyred supreme leader Ali Khamenei.
Huge crowds in Mashhad ahead of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s burial held up a large red banner reading, “We will kill Trump.”
Thursday’s burial at the country’s holiest shrine marks the culmination of a week of mass funeral processions and rallies. pic.twitter.com/21PabC9yEj
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) July 9, 2026
Citizens carried banners reading “Kill Trump” and “Kill Netanyahu.”
📸 Massive banner reading “Hey Trump, we will kill you” was spotted at the funeral procession of the martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution in Mashhad.@PressTV – #MartyrKhamenei pic.twitter.com/OjBhhGuG5Q
— Azadar Hussain (@Azadar04) July 10, 2026
Iran launched a large-scale wave of retaliatory operations targeting US assets in the region on 9 July, including in Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan, and Bahrain.
VIDEO | Circulating footage purportedly shows a direct Iranian missile strike on the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet Headquarters in Bahrain. pic.twitter.com/rhdcq5sy2V
— The Cradle (@TheCradleMedia) July 9, 2026
The operations were a response to hundreds of US strikes against Iran earlier on Thursday.
The escalation came a day after Trump declared that the so-called ceasefire was “over.” Since then, the White House has claimed it remains “committed” to the Islamabad agreement.
