Donald Trump arrives on Air Force One at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Marietta, Georgia, July 22, 2026 (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP)
UPDATES: US War on Iran, Day 150 — The Ceasefire Collapses
UPDATE 0605 GMT:
Iranian State media claims six ships have been prevented from using an “illegal and unsafe” route to cross the south of the Strait of Hormuz.
The ships reportedly had turned off their navigation and positioning systems. One suffered an accident, and the others returned to the Persian Gulf under “decisive Iranian management”.
UPDATE 0556 GMT:
The global price of Brent crude oil has fallen almost 5% amid the Trump camp’s retreat from wider strikes on Iran.
Brent is at $92 per barrel this morning.
ORIGINAL ENTRY: The Trump camp has retreated in its War on Iran, pulling back from wider attacks after almost two weeks of assaults and the apparent demise of June’s Memorandum of Understanding.
The Americans have not struck since Thursday night, following 12 consecutive nights targeting military sites and infrastructure across Iran and Iranian islands.
US officials said the main reason for the pullback is concerns over depleted air defense interceptors, needed to protect Gulf States and Israel against Iranian retaliation.
In late April, officials and internal documents indicated that the Pentagon had expended more than 1,200 Patriot interceptor missiles, at more than $4 million apiece, leaving inventories worrisomely low. The situation has worsened since then, military officials said last week.
As Donald Trump and senior advisors convened on Friday, Joint Chiefs of Staff chair Gen. Dan Caine advised that the military can launch major combat operations but interceptors are exhausted.
Before the meeting, the commander of US Central Command, Adm. Brad Cooper, recommended the halt of US attacks until the Trump Administration was prepared to escalate. He said current operations have largely reached the limits of their effectiveness.
A “source familiar with the matter” said Vice President J.D. Vance, who has opposed the US war from its outset, also raised concerns.
A senior US official also cited doubts that the intensified campaign will pressure Iran into talks. They noted recent strikes have kept Iran united and focused on a foreign threat.
Sources said many Trump advisors, including his son-in-law Jared Kushner favor the continuation of negotiations and economic pressure on Iran over a longer period of time.
Claims are circulating that Kushner and real estate developer Steve Witkoff are in contact with the Iranians, both directly and through mediators. Both sides have reached an informal understanding of “quiet for quiet”.
Iran’s military confirmed on Sunday that it has halted retaliatory attacks. Meanwhile, its officials met Omani colleagues in Muscat to discover a possible arrangement to manage the Strait of Hormuz.
The latest cycle of violence was spurred by the Trump camp’s attempt to pull out of the Memorandum of Understanding’s provision for Iranian management of the waterway.
Iran fired on vessels trying to cross the Strait without Tehran’s permission, using a route along the Omani coast. The US responded with strikes, escalating them to include bridges and railway infrastructure as well as military targets.
On Sunday night, trying to cover up his retreat, Trump blustered on social media with AI-generated images. They included US jets blowing up Kharg Island, the hub in the northern Persian Gulf for more than 90% of Iran’s maritime oil exports, and his raising of the American flag on an Iranian ship.
