Trump Declares U.S.-Iran Ceasefire “Over” as NATO Summit Convenes in Ankara
President Donald Trump declared the United States-Iran ceasefire “over” on Wednesday, July 8, during the second day of the NATO summit in this Turkish capital, as the U.S. military launched a fresh wave of strikes against Iranian targets following a resurgence of hostilities in the Strait of Hormuz.
“We hit them very hard last night, and we’ll probably hit them hard again tonight,” Trump told reporters on the sidelines of the summit at the Besiktepe Presidential Complex. “If it happens again, it will get much worse.” The president added that the U.S. “may take over Kharg Island,” Iran’s main oil terminal, describing the interim ceasefire agreement signed June 17 as defunct. “I think it’s over. I don’t want to deal with them anymore,” he said. “They’re scum. They’re sick people. They’re led by sick people.”
U.S. Strikes Target Iranian Military Infrastructure
U.S. Central Command announced that American forces had launched a coordinated series of strikes against more than 80 Iranian targets late Tuesday, describing the operation as designed “to further degrade their ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.” According to CENTCOM, the strikes hit Iranian air defense systems, command and control networks, coastal radar sites, and anti-ship missile capabilities. The command also reported striking more than 60 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps small boats in and near the Strait of Hormuz.
“The United States is holding Iran accountable for recent unjustified aggression against commercial shipping and civilian crews freely navigating a vital international waterway,” CENTCOM said in a statement. The escalation followed attacks on three commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, a passage through which roughly a fifth of global oil production traditionally flows.
IRGC Retaliates Against U.S. Bases in Gulf
The IRGC responded with drone and missile strikes targeting U.S. military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait, according to a statement carried by Iranian state media. Bahrain’s Ministry of Interior issued shelter-in-place warnings to civilians, and Kuwait’s armed forces confirmed they had detected incoming projectiles. The exchange marked the most significant escalation since the June 17 interim ceasefire agreement brought a temporary halt to direct U.S.-Iranian hostilities.
Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, a senior figure in Tehran’s negotiating team, rejected the U.S. characterization of the strikes as justified retaliation. He cited the reinstatement of sanctions on Iranian oil sales on Tuesday and what he described as persistent American threats of further military action as evidence that Washington had violated the ceasefire terms. “The era of bullying and extortion is over. It leads nowhere. We don’t fold,” Ghalibaf said in a statement reported by semi-official Iranian media.
NATO Allies Back U.S. Action as Alliance Fragility Persists
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte offered unequivocal support for the U.S. strikes during a press conference at the summit, calling them “absolutely necessary” given what he described as Iran’s violation of the ceasefire arrangement. “I think it is totally crucial that the U.S. forcefully reacts,” Rutte told reporters. “I expect allies today to reconfirm that Iran should never, ever get its hands on a nuclear capability.” Rutte also emphasized the importance of securing freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, calling a full reopening of the waterway “crucial for all 32 allies.”
Trump, however, used the occasion of the NATO summit to express frustration with the broader alliance, telling reporters he was “very disappointed” with European NATO members’ responses to the Iran conflict. The president suggested the episode had deepened his longstanding skepticism about whether Washington’s closest partners would stand with the United States in a major military confrontation. NATO officials presented a unified public front, but several European delegations privately expressed concern about being drawn into a wider conflict in the Middle East without formal alliance consultation.
What Comes Next
Analysts cautioned that the collapse of the ceasefire leaves both sides with limited diplomatic off-ramps. The Trump administration has threatened further strikes against Iranian civilian infrastructure, including desalinization plants and power stations, while Tehran has signaled it will not return to negotiations under what it characterizes as coercive pressure. A senior European diplomatic official, speaking on background at the summit, told reporters that back-channel communications between Washington and Tehran remained “technically possible but politically improbable” in the near term.
The Pentagon is expected to provide a fuller assessment of strike damage and Iranian retaliation on Thursday. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is scheduled to brief reporters at the Pentagon at 1400 local time. NATO defense ministers are expected to hold an extraordinary video conference later this week to discuss the implications for alliance posture in the Gulf region.
For the time being, commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz faces continued disruption. The U.S. Fifth Fleet has not yet announced whether it will expand its escort operations for civilian vessels, though senior officials indicated the option was under active review.
