Ceasefire unraveling as US and Iran trade strikes again

President Donald Trump walks off Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Thursday, July, 9, 2026. Trump insisted Sunday that the Strait of Hormuz was open to shipping traffic, adding that the U.S. had “bombed the hell” out of Iran last night. (Doug Mills/The New York Times)

By LEO SANDS, SANAM MAHOOZI, AARON BOXERMAN, ERICA L. GREEN and ERIC SCHMITT

The United States conducted a fresh round of strikes on Iranian targets Sunday, a U.S. official said, extending a pattern of attacks between the two sides as their fragile ceasefire continued to unravel. Iranian state media reported explosions on an island in the Strait of Hormuz, an economically vital waterway at the center of a tug of war between the two countries.

The U.S. official, who was not authorized to speak publicly, said the strikes were intended to degrade Iran’s ability to target commercial shipping in the strait, where an Iranian attack on a container ship on Saturday set off the latest exchanges of fire. The U.S. launched a barrage of attacks Saturday, and Iran retaliated overnight by firing on U.S.-allied Persian Gulf Arab states.

The back-and-forth attacks have played out over nearly a week, driven by a dispute over the Strait of Hormuz, where the U.S. has repeatedly accused Iran of attacking commercial vessels. Iran had not claimed responsibility for any attacks until Saturday, when it said it had fired on a Cypriot-flagged container ship that tried to use an unapproved route through the strait. Iran also declared the waterway, through which roughly 20% of the world’s oil supply passed before the war, closed.

President Donald Trump insisted Sunday that the strait was open to shipping traffic, adding that the U.S. had “bombed the hell” out of Iran last night.

The president also suggested that the two sides had been close to a deal over the weekend, before the attack on the ship, but offered no details. Iran has not said that it had agreed to any new deal, and Trump has often made unsubstantiated claims about the war. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Trump’s remarks.

The Trump administration has said the truce struck last month would fully lift Iran’s blockade of the strait. But Iran has insisted that all ships transiting the waterway travel through its territorial waters, as it seeks to use it as leverage in peace talks. The U.S. has demanded that Iran abandon that claim and allow the free movement of commercial vessels.

Here’s what else to know:

— Trading fire: The U.S. strikes Sunday came as part of a familiar pattern. The flurry of hostilities began Saturday, when Iran’s military said that it had “struck with warning fire” a vessel that had not obeyed orders to change course. Not long after, the United States announced that it had hit about 140 Iranian military targets; the U.S. official said strikes were aimed at Iranian missile and air defense systems, as well as small vessels operating around the strait. Shortly later, Iran said that it had targeted U.S. military assets in Jordan, Oman and Qatar. There were no reports of injuries or significant damage. Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates also reported incoming fire over the last 24 hours.

— Strike on ship: Omani authorities said Sunday morning that one crew member was missing after the GFS Galaxy Vessel came under Iranian attack in the strait. At least 23 mariners were rescued after the vessel issued a distress call near its coast, they said.

— Market volatility: The latest attacks threaten to further unsettle energy and financial markets. Daily shipping traffic through the strait recently dropped to the lowest level in weeks, according to Kpler, a maritime data tracking firm. Brent crude oil, the international benchmark, closed the week near $76 per barrel, about 5% higher than prewar levels.