Foreign Relations

Iran Rebuilt Missile Array as 60-Day U.S. Memorandum Expired, Officials Say

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Courtroom-sketch editorial illustration of a pale blue cruise missile climbing away from a warship's deck launcher over open sea, trailing a long white exhaust plume, with the ship's mounted deck gun, railing and equipment silhouetted in the foreground under a hazy sky.

The 60-day window of the memorandum Iran signed with Washington on June 17, which offered sanctions exemptions and access to frozen funds in exchange for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, expired at midnight Sunday without a final agreement. Iranian and Arab officials said Tehran used those two months to rebuild its missile array rather than negotiate, judging the deal a U.S. and Israeli attempt to buy time for a larger attack. The Revolutionary Guards took wider control of the armed forces and accelerated missile and drone production. Iran restored missile bases and improved accuracy faster than Israeli officials had assessed, and Israel is preparing for renewed fighting.

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