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THE WAR
The United States launched a second round of airstrikes against Iran on Wednesday, hitting Bushehr, Chabahar, Konarak, Bandar Abbas, and Sirik, a wider target set than Tuesday’s strikes. CENTCOM posted on X that forces had begun “conducting additional strikes against Iran to further degrade their ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.”
Trump, at the NATO summit in Ankara, announced the strikes himself before they were confirmed by CENTCOM. “I’ll give a little warning: We’re going to hit them hard tonight,” he told reporters. He called Iran’s leaders “scum” and “sick people.” He said they were “cuckoo.” He threatened to invade Kharg Island — Iran’s primary oil export terminal, through which roughly 90% of its oil exports flow. He said the United States may “denuclearize Iran without a deal.” He said he preferred not to target Iran’s electrical and desalination plants, but added “it could be necessary.”
Then, at the same press conference, he said “I don’t think it’s going to start again” and “anything that happens is going to be over very quickly.” He said he was “not looking for long-term.” He said oil would be “very free, very easy, and it’s going to happen very fast.”
Iran said it targeted “85 US military installations” in response — Iran’s own claim, not independently confirmed. Air raid sirens sounded in Bahrain and Kuwait. Iranian FM Araghchi said Iran does not answer “vulgarity with vulgarity, but with action: fearlessly and with great valor.”
Stocks fell worldwide. The S&P 500 was down 0.3%. Germany’s DAX fell 2.3%. France’s CAC fell 2.18%. The FTSE 100 fell 1.66%. Brent rose to $79.30. The market is not reading these events as temporary.
The MOU signed on June 17 called for three things: the permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and a 60-day negotiating window. The first two conditions are being violated simultaneously by both sides. The third remains nominally open — Trump said at a press conference that negotiators “could still engage” — but he expressed doubt. “It’s a waste of time dealing with them,” he said.
What remains of the 60-day clock: 39 days.
🌍 TRANSLATOR’S NOTE: Al Jazeera’s Iran analyst Negar Mortazavi, writing in the live blog, said Tehran and Washington have entered “a volatile phase of parallel diplomacy and deterrence,” and that the MOU “ended the immediate fighting, but it did not settle the core disputes.” That framing — the MOU as a pause that never became a resolution — is the one the region’s press has been applying since the beginning. The dispute over who controls Strait of Hormuz routing was never resolved in the MOU text. Both sides are now enforcing their own interpretation with airstrikes and ship attacks. From outside the American news cycle, the question is not whether the MOU collapsed — it is why anyone believed the underlying dispute had been resolved.
🇺🇸 What American readers need to know: The US is striking Iran for the second consecutive day. Iran is striking US military installations in the Gulf. Trump is threatening Kharg Island and denuclearization without a deal while simultaneously saying it will all be over quickly. Brent is at $79.30. The 60-day negotiating window has 39 days left — if it still exists.
Sources: CNN live blog (US — CENTCOM “additional strikes” statement verbatim confirmed, Bushehr/Chabahar/Konarak/Bandar Abbas/Sirik confirmed, Trump “hit them hard tonight” confirmed, “scum” and “cuckoo” quotes confirmed, Kharg Island threat confirmed, denuclearization threat confirmed, “not looking for long-term” confirmed, “waste of time” confirmed, FM Araghchi “fearlessly” quote confirmed, GPS spoofing incident confirmed, Brent 5.8% rise confirmed, July 8); CBS News live blog (US — Iran “85 US military installations” claim confirmed, Rutte “totally crucial” quote confirmed, stocks tumbled confirmed, DAX/CAC/FTSE figures confirmed, Trump “cuckoo/something wrong” quotes verbatim confirmed, July 8); Al Jazeera live blog (Qatar, state-funded/editorially independent — Mortazavi “volatile phase” quote confirmed, “parallel diplomacy and deterrence” confirmed, core disputes not settled framing confirmed, sirens Bahrain/Kuwait confirmed, July 8)
ANKARA
The NATO summit concluded Wednesday with a signed declaration, a Patriot manufacturing license for Ukraine, and a president who left angrier at his allies than when he arrived.
On Ukraine: The Ankara Declaration was signed. Allies pledged €70 billion in military equipment, assistance, and training for Ukraine in 2026, with at least equivalent levels committed for 2027. The Czech Republic opted out of the package. During his bilateral meeting with Zelensky, Trump announced that the United States would grant Ukraine a production license to manufacture Patriot missile interceptors domestically. “We’re going to give a license to you to make Patriots. That’s pretty cool, right?” Trump said. “We’ll show them how to do it, it’s very complex actually, but you’ll figure out the complexity quickly.” Lockheed Martin and RTX, the companies that make the Patriot system, had not been formally notified of the plan at the time of the announcement. Trump suggested the framework could eventually extend to Tomahawk cruise missiles. Zelensky signed drone deals with the Netherlands, Denmark, and Estonia on the summit’s sidelines.
On Greenland: Trump returned to the subject throughout both days of the summit, including this on Wednesday: “In fact, when Denmark was overrun by the Nazis in less than one day — Hitler beat them out in one day, took over — they asked us to take care of Greenland. In fact, we took Greenland, and then stupidly, we gave it back.” Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen responded directly: “We are ready to defend every inch of NATO, including our own territory.” The EU issued a formal statement: “Territorial integrity, national sovereignty and inviolability of borders are fundamental principles of international law.” NATO Secretary General Rutte said Trump “has a point” on Arctic competition from China and Russia, while stopping well short of endorsing any territorial claim.
On allies: Trump said “I’m very upset with NATO” because members “didn’t want to help us with the number one state sponsor of terror, that’s Iran.” He specifically condemned Spain’s refusal to allow US planes access to its bases during the Iran war. Spain’s Prime Minister Sánchez, after a conversation with Trump on the summit’s sidelines, told reporters that US-Spain relations “are very positive.” Trump closed the summit by saying there had been “tremendous unity.”
On Syria: Trump met with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa in a trilateral meeting alongside Zelensky. Trump said he was inclined to remove Syria from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism. “I haven’t totally made up my mind, but my inclination is to say, look, he’s done everything, he’s helped us in so many different ways,” Trump said.
🌍 TRANSLATOR’S NOTE: France 24 covered the summit’s close with the headline “Trump hails NATO unity as alliance members step up defence spending,” a framing that captures the gap between Trump’s declared satisfaction and what European allies experienced. Al Jazeera published a “Five key takeaways” piece after the summit closed, noting that Trump “appeared satisfied” with NATO’s defense spending response while spending most of his media appearances bashing allies who didn’t join the Iran war. The Patriot manufacturing license landed internationally as the summit’s single most significant concrete outcome for Ukraine — TIME described it as a “win for the Ukrainian government” that reverses the shortage that has left Kyiv unable to intercept Russian ballistic missiles.
🇺🇸 What American readers need to know: NATO signed its declaration. Ukraine gets a license to manufacture Patriot interceptors. The Czech Republic opted out of the Ukraine package. Trump invoked Hitler and Denmark in the same sentence while demanding Greenland. Spain said US-Spain relations are “very positive” after Trump called it a “wasted cause” the previous day. Trump declared “tremendous unity.” The war with Iran resumed while the summit was in session.
Sources: ABC News (US — Patriot license “pretty cool” quote verbatim confirmed, “very complex but you’ll figure it out” confirmed, Zelensky praise confirmed, Trump “getting much closer” confirmed, July 8); CBS News (US — Lockheed Martin/RTX not notified confirmed, “a little birdie told me” quote confirmed, Zelensky “I asked previous administration” quote confirmed, drone deal interest confirmed, July 8); TIME (US — €70 billion declaration confirmed, Czech Republic opt-out confirmed, Blagden “undoubtedly a win” confirmed, Zelensky drone deals Netherlands/Denmark/Estonia confirmed, July 8); Al Jazeera (Qatar, state-funded/editorially independent — Trump Nazi/Greenland quote verbatim confirmed, Frederiksen “defend every inch” confirmed, EU statement confirmed, Rutte “has a point” on Arctic confirmed, Trump “very upset” with NATO confirmed, July 8); France 24 (France, public broadcaster — “tremendous unity” Trump confirmed, Sánchez “very positive” confirmed, Erdogan defense cooperation confirmed, Baltic air policing upgraded confirmed, July 8); UNITED24 Media (Ukraine — two to three month production window confirmed, Tomahawk expansion possibility confirmed, manufacturing license framing confirmed, July 8); Foreign Policy / NATO declaration text (primary — “at least equivalent levels in 2027” language confirmed, Article 5 language confirmed, July 8)
THE DOCTOR
Two separate United Nations bodies have now called this week for the immediate release of Hussam Abu Safia.
On Monday, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention ruled that Abu Safia’s detention was arbitrary, finding that Israel’s actions violated multiple articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The body called for his immediate release and for Israel to provide him with compensation.
On Wednesday, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory issued a formal statement from Geneva expressing “grave concern at credible reports that Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya has been subjected to continued and severe abuse since his detention by the Israeli authorities in December 2024.” The Commission called for his “immediate, unconditional and safe release.” It stated that “the actions of the Israeli Prison Service guards towards Palestinian detainees raise grave concerns of violations of international law that likely amount to international crimes.”
Israel’s Prison Service rejected the Commission’s findings as “false, outrageous, and entirely without factual basis.”
Abu Safia has been held without charge since December 27, 2024. He is 52 years old. He was the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital when Israeli forces raided it and took him. He is classified as an “unlawful combatant,” a designation Israel has used to hold Palestinians without trial. His lawyer Nasser Odeh visited him July 2 and found him with fresh bruises, torture marks, barely conscious, shackled and escorted by masked guards. Abu Safia told his lawyer, “This is the last time you’ll see me. They brought me here to kill me.”
His son has issued a public video appeal. “Perhaps this will be the last cry,” his son said. Abu Safia’s 15-year-old son Ibrahim was killed by an Israeli drone strike at Kamal Adwan Hospital while his father was still working there — before his arrest.
He is one of 14 Palestinian doctors currently held by Israel without charge.
🇺🇸 What American readers need to know: Two separate United Nations bodies called this week for the immediate release of a Palestinian pediatrician who has been held without charge for 19 months. His lawyer says he is being tortured and may not survive. The UN Commission said the conduct of Israeli prison guards “likely amounts to international crimes.” Israel rejected the findings. The United States has said nothing.
Sources: OHCHR primary — UN Commission of Inquiry (UN primary — “immediate, unconditional and safe release” verbatim confirmed, “continued and severe abuse” confirmed, “likely amount to international crimes” confirmed, July 8); Al Jazeera (Qatar, state-funded/editorially independent — Commission statement confirmed, IPS “false outrageous” rejection confirmed, Odeh lawyer warning confirmed, videolink appearance confirmed, Monday Working Group ruling confirmed, July 8); Al Jazeera (Qatar, state-funded/editorially independent — Working Group on Arbitrary Detention ruling confirmed, UDHR/ICCPR violation confirmed, “arbitrary” detention confirmed, compensation call confirmed, July 6); Palestine Chronicle / IMEMC (Palestine/international — son’s video “perhaps this will be the last cry” confirmed, Ibrahim killed by drone strike confirmed, 14 doctors detained confirmed, July 7)
WAR DAY 131 | NUMBERS AT PUBLICATION
🇮🇷 Iran: 3,468 killed, 26,500+ injured (Iran Ministry of Health, via Al Jazeera live tracker, last updated June 10 — does not reflect ongoing exchanges of fire)
🇱🇧 Lebanon: 4,230 killed, 12,179 injured (Lebanon Ministry of Public Health, updated June 25)
🇮🇱 Israel: 35+ killed (tracker frozen June 10)
🌍 Gulf states/Iraq: 131 killed — tracker frozen June 10; does not reflect Iran’s strikes on US installations in Bahrain and Kuwait
🇺🇸 US military: 13 killed, 381 injured (Al Jazeera live tracker, last updated June 10 — does not reflect ongoing strikes)
🛢️ Brent crude: $79.30/barrel (OilPrice.com — up $0.73 from this morning; markets pricing in sustained conflict)
⛽ US national gas average: $3.80/gallon (AAA — pump prices lagging crude; expect increases within days)
Sourcing note: All war casualty figures sourced to the Al Jazeera live tracker, last updated June 10, 2026. The tracker does not reflect the ongoing exchange of US strikes on Iran and Iranian strikes on US installations in Bahrain and Kuwait. Casualty figures from those exchanges have not been confirmed at publication time. All figures are floor estimates. Methodology differs between sources; figures are not directly comparable.
“Whenever the people are well informed, they can be trusted with their own government.” — Thomas Jefferson, 1789
