U.S. launches 'second wave' of Iran strikes after ceasefire collapses

Fighting resumed this week after the failure of negotiations to formally end the war.

By Ben Whedon

Published: July 15, 2026 4:00pm

The United States launched a second wave of strikes on Iran in the wake of the collapse of the ceasefire on Wednesday.

U.S. Central Command confirmed in a statement that it had launched a "second wave" of strikes.

"The strikes are targeting Iranian military capabilities used to threaten vessels freely transiting through the Strait of Hormuz, an international waterway vital to global commerce. The U.S. military is holding Iran accountable at the Commander in Chief's direction," CENTCOM said in an X post.

Fighting resumed this week after the failure of negotiations to formally end the war. The conflict was in a state of nominal ceasefire for months and, in June, the U.S. and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to extend the ceasefire by 60 days.

That agreement broke down, with Trump ordering renewed hostilies, citing intermittent flare ups of live-fire exchanges that he said undermined peace talks.

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent for Just the News. Follow him on X.