A draft copy of the contents of a memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran was released on June 17.
The MOU declared immediate and permanent termination of all military operations and called for both countries to refrain from interfering in each other’s foreign affairs. The signed MOU also calls for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, funding Iran $300 billion to reconstruct war-decimated areas, and a pledge from Iran to stop building nuclear weapons.
Here’s a timeline of what’s happened between the U.S. and Iran since they signed the MOU.
June 22: Vance responds to Iranian social media posts about negotiations
Vice President JD Vance urges reporters to distrust Iranian social media reports about the MOU negotiations, particularly speculation that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi snubbed Vance during weekend negotiations between the countries.
Vance also said he talked with Iranian officials for nine hours.
“I would just encourage the media to mistrust a little bit what you see coming out of Iranian social media,” he said at Emmen Air Base in Switzerland. “They can be confusing negotiators, but we feel like we’re making progress.”
June 26: Israel and Lebanon sign peace framework
Israel and Lebanon both signed a peace framework in an effort to end border fighting between Hezbollah and the Jewish state. The trilateral agreement was signed by representatives from the U.S., Lebanon, and Israel for the purpose of negotiating an end to the conflict.
July 1: US and Iran hold separate meetings in Qatar to discuss further negotiations
Iranian and American officials held separate meetings in Qatar alongside Qatari and Pakistani mediators. Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, and U.S. Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff allegedly negotiated details over navigating traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, according to comments Vance made to reporters about the meeting.
July 2: Trump says he’s ‘the best president in the history of Israel’
Trump said he’s the “best president in the history of Israel” during an interview with CNBC host Joe Kernen.
Trump also made comments that implied that Iranian negotiations remain unresolved, while insisting that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.
“I’ve defeated them militarily. They’re totally defeated militarily,” he said. “They have some missiles left. We could wipe them out, too.”
Trump’s comments arrived after Iran attacked a commercial ship on the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. struck Iran in return in a series of renewed fighting after the signing of the MOU.
Israel has allegedly been sidelined in ongoing peace talks despite joining the U.S. in striking Iran, which has increased tensions between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. While Trump has praised Israel, he has also criticized Netanyahu for striking Beirut after a peace deal.
July 4: Iran starts six-day funeral for Ayatollah Khamenei
While Americans celebrated the country’s 250th birthday, Iran started a choreographed commemoration in honor of former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, four months after Israeli and U.S. airstrikes killed the leader.
It’s estimated that a total of 20 million people could participate in the memorial, though Mojtaba Khamenei, the slain ayatollah’s son and expected heir, remained absent, having not been seen publicly since he assumed power in March. A host of foreign dignitaries were in attendance, including senior Chinese official He Wei and Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev.
Trump responded to the funeral, saying Iran had been knocked the hell out.
“They want to settle so badly,” he said. “We gave them a week off for a funeral, because we’re nice.”
July 5: Netanyahu attacks the ‘woke Right’ while Iranians call for Trump’s death
Netanyahu expressed concern over what he called the “woke Right” in an interview with Fox News’s The Sunday Briefing.
“It concerns me that there’s that element of anti-Israel, first of all, in the Democratic Party, and then the ‘woke Right,’” he said. “I find that there’s something unique about these attacks, and that something is that the people who hate Israel end up hating America.”
Netanyahu said he also disagreed with Vance’s claim that the U.S. was Israel’s only strong ally. The prime minister said India is also a strong supporter of Israel, and claimed his Facebook account is flooded with positive comments from India.
Netanyahu said that while it has become fashionable to post antisemitic content on social media, many world leaders secretly reach out to Israel for cooperation.
“Many leaders call me up and say, ‘Hey, look, I’ve got this problem with public opinion, but I want you to know we respect you,” he said. “And can we make some deals? And can you teach us some of the things that your military does? And can we have some of your [artificial intelligence] and cyber expertise?”
That same day, reports found mourners at the ayatollah’s funeral were actively calling for Trump’s assassination as an act of revenge. At one point, poet and master of funeral ceremonies Mohammad Rasouli called for the death of Trump.
July 7: Ships attacked in the Strait of Hormuz
Iran targeted three commercial shipping vessels traveling through the Strait of Hormuz. In response, the U.S. Treasury Department rescinded temporary sanctions on oil waivers that allowed Iran to export oil.
The three attacked vessels are a Qatari liquefied natural gas tanker, a Saudi crude oil tanker, and an unnamed third tanker.
The waivers allowed the transit of Iranian oil in exchange for nuclear inspections and freedom of movement for commercial ships traveling through the strait.
That same day, the U.S. said it destroyed more than 60 Iranian boats in retaliation for Iran’s attack against the three commercial shipping vessels.
According to the U.S. Central Command, more than 80 Iranian targets were hit.
“U.S. forces struck Iranian air defense systems, command and control networks, coastal radar sites, anti-ship missile capabilities, and more than 60 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps small boats in and near the strait to degrade Iran’s ability to continue attacking international commerce flowing through the international trade corridor,” said CENTCOM in the statement.
July 8: Trump calls Iran ceasefire ‘over’
Trump said the previously negotiated eight-day ceasefire with Iran is over in light of the regime’s attack against three commercial vessels traveling through the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump’s remarks were delivered at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, with the president also calling the regime “sick.”
“They’re scum. They’re sick people,” he said. “They’re led by sick people. They’re vicious, violent people, and if they had a nuclear weapon, they’d use it.”
WHAT ARE TRUMP’S OPTIONS NOW THAT HE’S SAID THE CEASEFIRE IS OVER?
The U.S. resumed bombing Iran “to further degrade” Iran’s ability to threaten ships in the Strait of Hormuz, according to CENTCOM.
“At the direction of the Commander in Chief, U.S. Central Command forces have started conducting additional strikes against Iran to further degrade their ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz,” CENTCOM said in a statement. “The United States is holding Iran accountable for recent unjustified aggression against commercial shipping and civilian crews freely navigating a vital international waterway.”