Trump’s Unpredictable Foreign Policy Moves in August 2026

In mid-August 2026 President Donald Trump let the long-broken memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Iran expire, ending the agreement that had required free shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. The same week he announced that the United States would scale back joint military drills with South Korea, citing the cost of the exercises, Seoul’s refusal to join the war on Iran, and a desire not to antagonize Kim Jong Un. On the following Monday Trump publicly threatened to bomb Oman for its role in negotiating with Iran to keep Hormuz traffic moving. garrison. These moves were captured in a photo of U.S. Army armored vehicles crossing a river in Yeoncheon, South Korea, on August 17.

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Trump defended his approach at a Long Island rally, claiming, “America is respected again all over the world. We’re respected like never before.” Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby countered critics, arguing that the perception of U.S.

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Retired U.S. Navy Adm. Former senior State Department official and ambassador Christopher Hill warned that Trump’s second-term record is becoming “very unreliable,” a view he shared with Jim Sciutto on CNN International.

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• “America is respected again all over the world. We’re respected like never before,” — Kim Jong Un. Trump, president

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• “There is a canard out there that America today is too unreliable to work with anymore,” — Elbridge Colby, pentagon policy chief

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