Trump ends US-Iran ceasefire, bans Spain trade at NATO

President Donald Trump declared an end to the U.S. ceasefire with Iran and ordered a halt to all trade with NATO ally Spain during a contentious summit in Ankara, Turkey, on Wednesday, July 8, 2026. The announcements, made alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, marked a sharp escalation in Middle Eastern hostilities and transatlantic tensions, overshadowing the alliance's official agenda on defense spending and Ukraine.

Trump stated the memorandum of understanding with Iran was over, using derogatory language to describe Iranian leaders and accusing them of dishonesty. He said he no longer wished to negotiate. The declaration followed a night of retaliatory U.S. strikes against more than 80 targets inside Iran, which U.S. Central Command said was in response to Iranian attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz earlier in the week. Iran responded with its own missile and drone strikes against U.S. military targets in Bahrain and Kuwait, including an attack on Bahrain's Isa Air Base. Iran's foreign ministry said the responsibility for the escalation lay with the United States.

NATO Secretary General Rutte defended the U.S. strikes as "absolutely necessary,"...