Iran Suspends Commitments to Interim Deal with US as Fighting Intensifies
TEHRAN — July 18, 2026 — Iran has announced it is suspending all of its commitments under the interim memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed with the United States just last month, accusing Washington of violating its obligations through continued military strikes and failing to implement key provisions of the agreement, Iranian officials confirmed on Saturday.
Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi told Iranian state television that the United States had “breached and suspended all its commitments under the Islamabad memorandum,” and that Tehran had therefore decided to halt implementation of the agreement . “We have suspended our obligations and the implementation of the agreement. At this moment, we are focused on defending the country,” Gharibabadi said .
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Reciprocal Commitments Violated, Iran Says
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei emphasized that the memorandum was based on the principle of reciprocal implementation of commitments . “The Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding was based on a commitment for a commitment, and with the US’s action to violate its commitments, Iran no longer considers itself committed to implementing it,” Baghaei said .
Baghaei detailed that the United States had committed to restoring Iran’s access to all of its blocked funds, including a $12 billion release in two installments of $6 billion each under the first phase . However, with the suspension of the memorandum, the entire process has been halted .
According to Baghaei, the agreement envisioned a 30-day period to restore normal shipping conditions and implement safe navigation mechanisms through the Strait of Hormuz . But before that period expired, the United States launched military operations against Iran, preventing the agreement from being carried out . He stated that Iran’s measures in the Strait of Hormuz were taken in line with its responsibility to safeguard maritime security and prevent the waterway from being used for military operations against the country .
Iran Blames ‘Fragmented’ US Politics
Baghaei further claimed that competing factions within the U.S. political establishment were obstructing the implementation of commitments accepted by the American government itself . He described the current U.S. governing structure as “fragmented and divided,” saying different centers of power and lobbying groups pursue conflicting agendas, resulting in contradictory messages to the international community .
Trump: ‘Couldn’t Care Less’
In response to Iran’s announcement, President Donald Trump dismissed Tehran’s decision, saying he “couldn’t care less” . Speaking in a brief phone interview with US cable network NewsNation, Trump reiterated that the war’s primary objective is “never allowing Iran to have a nuclear weapon” . He also described the deaths of two US service members in an Iranian attack in Jordan as “a very sad thing,” but did not express any concern over the collapse of the agreement .
Deadly Exchanges Since Ceasefire Collapse
The interim MoU was signed on June 18 and was supposed to halt all military operations, reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and set the stage for negotiations toward a permanent peace deal and an agreement on Iran’s nuclear program within 60 days . However, the agreement effectively collapsed on July 8, when Trump declared it “ended” after Iran launched a drone attack on a vessel transiting the Strait of Hormuz .
Since then, the United States has launched successive waves of airstrikes on Iranian targets, including surveillance sites, military logistics infrastructure, underground weapons storage, and maritime capabilities . Iran has responded with attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz and on Arab countries hosting American troops .
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On Saturday, the most significant damage from Iranian strikes occurred in Kuwait, where a water desalination plant and an oil facility were hit . The attacks injured several people at the oil facility and caused a fire at the desalination plant, forcing several power generation units offline . US airstrikes have also hit an electricity and desalination plant in Iran’s southern Hormozgan province, destroying a desalination plant and cutting off water supplies to about 10,000 people .
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