Why have US-Iran strikes resumed and what does it mean for peace?
Both sides have accused each other of violating the memorandum of understanding signed in June.
The United States launched dozens of strikes on Iran early on Wednesday in what it said was retaliation for Tehran’s attacks on commercial ships in the highly contested Strait of Hormuz, sparking widespread fears of the renewal of all-out war in the Middle East.
After the US attacks, President Donald Trump told reporters at a NATO summit in Ankara, Turkiye, that he thinks the memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Iran is “over”. While he “might” allow peace talks to continue for now, he said, he believed they were a “waste of time”. In an angry tirade, he referred to the Iran leadership as “scum.” [...]
How has Iran responded?
On Wednesday, the IRGC said it had launched retaliatory strikes on 85 US military targets in Bahrain and Kuwait, as sirens sounded in both countries.
The IRGC said it “destroyed 85 major US military installations in Port Salman, [the US] Fifth Naval Base in Bahrain, and Kuwait’s Ali Salem Airbase, and shot down an enemy MQ9 drone that attempted to interfere in the operation”.
Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemned the “aggressive attacks and gross violation” of the MoU by the US.
“The terrorist US military, in clear violation of Article 2, Paragraph 4 of the United Nations Charter, committed military aggression against several monitoring and surveillance centres on the southern coasts of Iran,” the ministry said in the early hours of Wednesday, noting that these strikes “constitute a flagrant violation of Paragraph 1 of the Memorandum of Understanding on the Termination of War, which mandates the cessation of military operations.”
The statement also highlighted “the international legal obligation of all governments, particularly neighbouring countries located on the southern coast of the Persian Gulf, to prevent aggressor parties from utilising their territory and facilities to conduct aggressive acts against the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
It added that Iran’s armed forces “will not hesitate in defending Iran’s territorial integrity, national sovereignty, and national security against US military aggression in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter, and will target the source and origin of the aggression.” In a post on X, Parliament Speaker and lead negotiator Mohammad Ghalibaf said the strikes on Iran, the reimposition of sanctions and continued Israeli attacks on Lebanon all represent “major MOU violations by the US”.
“The era of bullying and extortion is over. It leads nowhere. We don’t fold,” he said. [...]
In a Telegram statement on Wednesday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the US strikes had “rendered key, fundamental elements of the war-ending agreement ineffective”.
“The US regime, having reneged on its commitments, bears responsibility for the dangerous consequences of this escalation,” he said. [...]
Iran likely launched attacks on commercial ships to provoke the US at a sensitive time for both countries, Harlan Ullman, a retired senior US naval officer, told Al Jazeera.
“My view is Iran is taunting the United States,” Ullman said. “Donald Trump has already criticised NATO for not participating in its war in Iran, has criticised NATO for not spending enough on defence. And my guess is that Iran is trying to further the divide between the United States and NATO by accentuating attacks now, believing that the United States will be limited in what it can do because if it is seen to be attacking the funeral processions that are going throughout the country.”
Iran, Ullman said, could also be stalling for more negotiation time before the August deadline. Ultimately, the analyst added, “whether this is going to be peace or war, my guess is that both sides will want to de-escalate.”
In a post on X, Parliament Speaker and lead negotiator Mohammad Ghalibaf said the strikes on Iran, the reimposition of sanctions and continued Israeli attacks on Lebanon all represent “major MOU violations by the US.”
“The era of bullying and extortion is over. It leads nowhere. We don’t fold,” he said. [...]
In a Telegram statement on Wednesday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the US strikes had “rendered key, fundamental elements of the war-ending agreement ineffective”.
“The US regime, having reneged on its commitments, bears responsibility for the dangerous consequences of this escalation,” he said.
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