US-Iran Conflict Escalates as Strait of Hormuz Attacks Continue, Trump Support Wavers

Since late July 2026, the United States and Iran have been engaged in renewed military conflict, with fighting reported to have resumed roughly two weeks before July 31 reporting. President Trump attended a dignified transfer ceremony for fallen US soldiers in late July as public criticism of the war grew. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps stated it struck tankers attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz under US military escort, describing the vessels as having used an "undeclared route"; separate reporting described a trade vessel struck by an unidentified projectile near Oman's coast in early August. Energy prices have risen amid the fighting, according to multiple reports. Trump gathered his cabinet to discuss the conflict as it continued into August, with reporting citing rising prices and the approaching US midterm elections as contextual pressures on the administration. Trump has claimed a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz was imminent, though this claim has not been independently verified by the sources reviewed. Trump also threatened additional strikes on Iran, according to reporting in early August. A Politico poll cited by The Hill found support for continuing the war had dropped 13 points among voters who backed Trump in the presidential election, with the decline attributed to rising costs associated with the conflict. The current status of the conflict remains unresolved, with the Strait of Hormuz not confirmed as reopened despite Trump's claims. It is unclear whether the tanker strikes reported by Iran's IRGC and the projectile strike near Oman described separately refer to the same or different incidents, as sources do not explicitly reconcile these accounts. The extent and timeline of any prospective Hormuz reopening deal, as well as further US military action against Iran, remain unconfirmed next steps as of the most recent reporting reviewed.