On July 9, 2026, the US military announced it had bombed 170 Iranian targets in just 48 hours—the biggest strike yet in a campaign that started ramping up in late June. The Guardian reported that Iran struck back, launching attacks on US military bases in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar.

On the same day, President Trump said at a NATO meeting that a deal with Iran he'd announced three weeks earlier was now "over." In June, the White House had called it a win—saying the agreement protected American interests through negotiation instead of war. Now Trump was walking away from it.

These strikes did not come out of nowhere. In late June, Iran fired drones and missiles at US bases in the Gulf region and threatened to abandon talks altogether. The US responded with strikes. Iran hit back. The US struck again. This back-and-forth cycle has happened at least twice in the past two weeks.

According to Iran's health ministry, the US strikes killed 14 people and wounded 78. Iran's military said it targeted a Patriot missile battery in Kuwait, a radar antenna in Qatar, and fuel storage tanks at bases in Bahrain. The Bahrain attacks were significant because that's where the US Navy keeps its main fleet in the region—so damage there affects American military power more directly.

Why is the US striking? The official reason is to protect ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway where about a third of the world's oil travels. Iran has threatened shipping there. But Iran's negotiator said something different: that Iran controls the Strait and will decide when ships can pass through, no matter what the US does.

At the same time, Washington cut off a license that allowed Iran to sell oil internationally, squeezing Iran's economy. The military campaign and economic pressure are happening together.

There's another layer of complexity. Iran is holding the funeral rites for its supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, who just died. Leadership transitions can be unpredictable and messy. Iran's government is dealing with both grief and crisis at the same time.

The core problem is this: the US bombs to secure shipping routes; Iran says shipping routes are theirs to control. Neither side has given in after each round of strikes. In fact, Iran has responded to every attack with its own attack. Three weeks ago, both sides said they had a deal. Now Trump says it's dead, and they're fighting instead of talking.