President Donald Trump speaks in the East Room of the White House, Thursday, July 16, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo)
US President Donald Trump said he “couldn’t care less” after Iran announced it was no longer abiding by the US-Iran memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed last month, Al Jazeera reported. In a phone interview with US cable network NewsNation, Trump reportedly reiterated that the primary objective of the conflict is “never allowing Iran to have a nuclear weapon”. The MoU, signed in mid-June, was intended to help end the conflict launched by the US and Israel in February. The latest escalation in fighting followed disagreements over the management of the Strait of Hormuz.
US warplanes hit Iranian targets again Saturday evening, marking an eighth straight night of strikes as President Trump ordered retaliation for the deaths of two American troops in Jordan. The strikes came hours after Tehran declared it was walking away from the truce framework reached with Washington last month, with Iran’s supreme leader dismissing Trump’s signature on the deal as meaningless.
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The Pentagon confirmed the latest round of strikes began at 6pm ET, launched in direct response to an attack that killed two US service members and left a third missing in Jordan the first American combat deaths from Iranian fire since March. The losses push total US military fatalities in the conflict to 16, with over 400 wounded since fighting resumed. Meanwhile, Tehran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei used a written statement to accuse Washington of repeatedly violating their prior agreements, effectively signaling Iran no longer considers itself bound by last month’s ceasefire terms.
Latest developments:
- US forces struck Iran again Saturday at Trump’s direction, the eighth consecutive night of bombing.
- Two American troops were killed and a third went missing in a Jordan attack blamed on Iranian missiles and drones.
- The Jordan deaths bring total US fatalities in the war to 16, with more than 400 wounded.
- Iran’s supreme leader called Trump’s signature “worthless,” accusing the US of breaking its word.
- Kuwaiti firefighters were injured battling blazes from Iranian strikes on civilian infrastructure.
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