U.S. Begins Second Day of Strikes Against Iran
NYT > U.S. > Politics — 2026-07-09 06:15:00 — www.nytimes.com
Trump Declares Iran Cease-Fire ‘Over’ as U.S. Launches Major Strikes, Offers Dubious Claims About Negotiations
For the second consecutive day, the Pentagon reported that U.S. forces struck dozens of military sites in Iran, following President Trump’s assertion that a three-week-old cease-fire between the two countries was “over.” The strikes, which targeted around 90 Iranian military sites along the southeastern coast, were described by U.S. Central Command as retaliation for “recent unjustified aggression against commercial shipping and civilian crews.” In total, the U.S. has hit approximately 170 targets in the past two days—far surpassing previous rounds of retaliatory action.
Trump’s Statements and Shifting Tone
Earlier on Wednesday, President Trump told reporters at a NATO summit in Turkey that while the United States would probably hit Iran “hard,” he did not expect a return to all-out war. “I don’t think it’s going to start again,” he said. “I think it’s going to go very quickly.” However, later that day, Trump escalated his rhetoric in a social media post, warning that if Iran attacked ships again, “it will get much worse!”
Speaking aboard Air Force One, Trump claimed that Iran was eager to negotiate despite the renewed hostilities. “They called a little while ago. They want to make a deal so badly,” he said, but then cast doubt on Iran’s reliability: “I just don’t know if they’re worthy of making a deal. I don’t know that they’re going to honor the deal.” Notably, Iranian officials have made no public statements about new negotiations, contradicting Trump’s assertion.
Fact-Checking Trump’s Claims
Trump’s claim that Iran is desperate to make a deal is not supported by any statements from Iranian officials. In fact, the excerpt makes clear that “the Iranians have said nothing about new negotiations.” This is a significant distortion of the diplomatic reality, as talks between the two countries have been paused and Iran has accused the U.S. of violating the June 18 agreement intended to end the war.
Additionally, Trump’s optimistic prediction that renewed conflict “isn’t going to start again” and “will go very quickly” is at odds with the ongoing escalation, as evidenced by the scale and intensity of U.S. military strikes and the absence of a clear diplomatic path forward.
Conclusion
President Trump’s public statements on the Iran conflict continue to feature exaggerations and unsupported claims, particularly regarding Iran’s willingness to negotiate. While the U.S. military campaign intensifies, Trump’s rhetoric alternates between minimizing the risk of war and issuing threats of further escalation. The facts on the ground, including the lack of Iranian engagement in new talks and the ongoing hostilities, contradict the president’s narrative and highlight the gap between his statements and the unfolding reality.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/08/us/politics/us-iran-strikes.html