A two-month truce between the United States and Iran has officially expired without a broader agreement, leaving President Donald Trump facing renewed pressure over a war he has struggled to bring to an end. The truce was agreed in June through a memorandum of understanding signed by Trump alongside French President Emmanuel Macron at the Palace of Versailles.

The White House described the agreement as a “historic breakthrough”, saying it would help reopen the Strait of Hormuz and ensure that Iran never obtained a nuclear weapon.

The deal gave the two sides two months to negotiate a wider settlement over Iran’s nuclear programme.

But that period has now ended with the war continuing. The Strait of Hormuz remains largely closed, detailed negotiations over Iran’s nuclear programme never began and the US has resumed its blockade of Iranian ports.

Tehran is seeking concessions that the Trump administration has rejected.

The administration has also publicly disowned several elements of the memorandum, including a proposed plan involving “at least $300 billion for the reconstruction and development” of Iran, a sanctions waiver allowing Iran to sell oil, and a “dialogue” between Iran and Oman over the management of the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump Threatens Oman

Trump’s frustration has also been directed at Oman, which has played a longstanding role in mediating between Washington and Tehran. In an interview with Fox News, Trump threatened Oman if it interfered with US efforts.

“If Oman gets in the way, we’ll bomb the shit out of them,” he said, according to Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst.

Oman has facilitated talks between the US and Iran for years and maintains that it is a neutral mediator.

Nate Swanson of the Atlantic Council’s Iran Strategy Project told The New York Times that the threat appeared to reflect the difficulties facing Trump. “I think, ultimately, his threats against Oman are just a reflection of his frustration with the situation he’s created, where he has no good options,” he said. “He’s just reflexively lashing out, and this time Oman got in the cross hairs.”

Trump has threatened Oman previously. In May, after reports that Oman had discussed working with Iran on charging fees for ships using the Strait of Hormuz, he said: “Oman will behave just like everybody else, or we’ll have to blow them up.”

“They understand that. They’ll be fine,” he added.

War Enters Seventh Month

The conflict began more than six months ago, when the US and Israel launched strikes across Iran in February. At the time, administration officials said the war could be over within four to six weeks.

The US has since struck thousands of targets in Iran and inflicted serious damage on the country’s military capabilities.

The June memorandum was intended to mark a step towards ending the conflict, but both Washington and Tehran have since said the agreement is effectively dead.

Justin Logan, director of defence and foreign policy studies at the Cato Institute, described the expiration of the memorandum as “mostly symbolic”, but said the symbolism was important. The agreement’s main function, he said, was to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping route through the Persian Gulf that Iran effectively closed during the war.

“The tragic part here is that the United States is clawing to try to get back to the state of the Middle East before the war started,” Logan told NYT.

Trump Says He Is ‘Not In A Hurry’

As the truce expired, the Trump administration promised to impose further sanctions on Iran this week, although details have not yet been announced.

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has said the US could maintain its naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz indefinitely, suggesting there is no immediate end to the conflict.

Trump sought to project patience in his Fox News interview, saying he was “not in a hurry” to reach a new agreement.

Asked in the Oval Office whether he was closer to ending the war now than when the memorandum was signed, Trump did not directly answer. He said Iran wanted to reach an agreement, but not one that met his requirements. “Look, we’re in there for one reason: Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon,” he said.

Trump also suggested that the US could declare the Strait of Hormuz US territory. “We control it with the blockade, and I like the idea of declaring it a territory,” he said.

He also criticised Oman over its role in discussions with Iran about temporarily reopening the strait. “I don’t think they behaved very well,” he said, adding that the US could “handle them very easily, just like we do other things”.

What Options Does Trump Have?

The US could continue what the president has described as “low key” economic pressure, although it has so far failed to produce the desired results. It could intensify military action against Iran, despite concerns over dwindling US munitions stocks.

Washington could also return to negotiations in an attempt to reach a new agreement similar to the one that has now collapsed.

Another option would be for Trump to step back from the conflict and ask US allies in the Gulf to take greater responsibility for security around the Strait of Hormuz. “I’m wondering if at some point, either by choice or incompetence, we kind of just put our blinders on and let the Gulf figure it out,” Swanson said.