United States in July 2026: the most important developments in politics
In July 2026, US politics was dominated by the confrontation with Iran. Indirect talks in Qatar early in the month were followed on July 8 by President Donald Trump declaring the ceasefire with Iran over, at the NATO summit in Ankara, where Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen also rejected his renewed demand for US control of Greenland, saying it is 'not for sale'. The US resumed airstrikes, and on July 12 it attacked Iran after a ship was hit in the Strait of Hormuz; Iran closed the strait and struck Gulf states. Trump reinstated a blockade of Iranian ports and proposed tolls on shipping, a plan that drew objections from India, Brazil and China. From July 26 both sides paused their strikes and Oman hosted talks. Trump said there was a 'good chance' of a deal while Iran denied that negotiations were underway, and at month's end there were reports of an Iranian attack on US bases.
On the wider Middle East, the administration announced a civilian nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia on July 22 to 23 and made it conditional on Saudi recognition of Israel; Israeli officials expressed alarm. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Trump behind closed doors on July 28 after Trump publicly rebuked him. On July 30 Trump announced a deal to disarm Hamas, though Israeli support was uncertain.
At the NATO summit, Trump criticized allies' spending, renewed a public dispute with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and clashed with Spain over trade. On July 23 Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, with no breakthrough on Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Trump promised Patriot missile licenses on July 29.
At home, Senator Lindsey Graham died on July 13, and his sister Darline Graham Nordone was appointed to serve out his term. The Supreme Court rejected Trump's effort to limit birthright citizenship. The House voted to limit Trump's authority to wage war against Iran while passing a $1.15 trillion defense bill.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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