US President Donald Trump has declared the ceasefire with Iran “over” after weeks of cautious calm and a diplomatic push to cement the initial peace deal.
So how did we get here?
Monday, July 6:
– Mr Trump says the US will either reach a deal with Iran or “finish the job,” renewing threats of military action during the scheduled 60-day period to negotiate a final settlement.
– On the night of July 6, the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency receives the first report that a tanker has been hit by a projectile east of Limah, in Oman. The vessel is Qatari LNG carrier Al Rekayyat, which catches fire.
– Iran's state broadcaster says an oil tanker has been attacked after it tried to sail “through the Omani route in the Strait of Hormuz with US Navy support”. It says the vessel ignored warnings.
– Another vessel is also hit off Oman's coast, according to UKMTO. It is later identified as a Saudi-flagged supertanker, the Wedyan.
Tuesday, July 7:
– Qatar blames Iran for the attack on its carrier. It summons Iran's deputy ambassador to protest an “act of aggression”.
– UKMTO issues an alert for a third tanker attacked in the Strait of Hormuz. It reports no material damage.
– Later that day, the US revokes a waiver that allowed Iran to sell oil despite sanctions, after the triple tanker attacks.
– The US then launches a series of strikes on Iran after accusing Tehran of attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz. US Central Command says the “powerful strikes” aim to “impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping”.
Wednesday, July 8, morning:
-Centcom announces it has hit more than 80 targets in Iran, including air defence systems and boats belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
– Air raid sirens are activated in Bahrain and Kuwait as Iran retaliates. Iranian state media says US forces in the Middle East were the target of the drone attacks.
– Iran's top negotiator, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, accuses the US of breaching the interim deal. “The era of bullying and extortion is over. It leads nowhere. We don't fold,” he said on X.
– Mr Trump says he thinks the ceasefire is “over”, while addressing a journalist's question at the Nato summit in Ankara.
“To me, I think it's over. I don't want to deal with them any more. They're scum. They're led by sick people … As far as I'm concerned, it's just a waste of time dealing with them,” he says.
July 8, afternoon:
– Mr Trump threatens to launch more military action against Iran in “the coming hours”, saying key infrastructure could be attacked.
– He later plays down the prospect of the fighting returning to full-scale war. “I don't think it is going to start again. I think it's going to go very quickly,” Mr Trump says when asked about his earlier comments.
July 8, night:
– The US launches renewed strikes on Iran to “further degrade their ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz,” Centcom says.
– “This is in retribution for yesterday’s bombing of ships by Iran,” Mr Trump writes on Truth Social. “If it happens again, it will get much worse.”
– Mr Trump says Iran “called” seeking to “make a deal”.
Thursday, July 9, morning:
– The US Central Command says it has completed its second round of air strikes against Iran, attacking about 90 military targets.
– Kuwait says its air defences are responding to missile and drone threats, with at least one person wounded in the attacks.
Bahrain's Ministry of Interior says sirens were activated, while Qatar's Interior Ministry issues an alert saying the “security level is high” and urging residents to stay home. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the strikes were the first phase of a “punitive response” to US military action.
– Mr Ghalibaf warns of retaliation against US attacks.
“America has still not learnt that bullying and breaking promises are no longer cost-free. To be clear: if you strike, you'll get hit,” he writes on X, adding that the Strait of Hormuz “will only be open under Iranian arrangements, not American threats”.
– Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz comes to a near-standstill amid the exchange of fire between the US and Iran.
– Iran's Foreign Ministry accuses Washington of committing a “gross war crime” and breaching the ceasefire agreement. At least 14 people died and 78 were wounded in the US strikes on Iran, according to the Health Ministry.
July 9, afternoon:
- Jordan says it "intercepted and dealt" with a missile attack launched by Iran.
