US and Iran Exchange Strikes Before Agreeing to Talks

The United States and Iran engaged in a major military escalation between July 7 and July 10, 2026, after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps attacked commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. Donald Trump declared a June 2026 ceasefire memorandum of understanding effectively collapsed and authorized retaliatory strikes. US Central Command targeted approximately 90 to 175 Iranian sites, including air defense systems and missile depots. In a specialized effort called Operation Midnight Hammer, B-2 stealth bombers and Tomahawk missiles targeted three nuclear sites and surface infrastructure in Isfahan.

Iran retaliated by striking U.S. military infrastructure in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and Jordan, claiming to have hit 85 U.S. sites, including the Fifth Fleet headquarters. Iranian officials reported at least 17 deaths and damage to civilian infrastructure, such as railway links between Tehran and Mashhad. Simultaneously, the U.S. Treasury Department revoked Iran's oil sanctions waivers and imposed new sanctions on financiers assisting the Iranian leadership.

Despite the violence, regional mediators from Qatar, Pakistan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey worked to prevent a full-scale war. Qatari negotiators met with Iranian officials in Tehran to facilitate de-escalation. President Trump later confirmed that the United States agreed to continue nuclear negotiations in Switzerland next week at the request of the Islamic Republic of Iran, although he maintained that the previous ceasefire remains over. The International Energy Agency warned that the conflict, which halted up to 14 million barrels per day of crude oil flows, threatens the global energy market.