After back-and-forth attacks and an exchange of fiery language between President Trump and Iran’s leaders, it appears that both sides have returned to open conflict. Today, David Sanger, the White House and national security correspondent for The New York Times, explains what brought us to this point, and what this new phase of the war tells us about how difficult it will be to end. Guest: David E. Sanger (https://www.nytimes.com/by/david-e-sanger) , the White House and national security correspondent for The New York Times. Background reading:  • After several days of strikes, Mr. Trump notified Congress that fighting with Iran had begun again (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/13/us/politics/trump-iran-ceasefire.html) , and he announced shipping fees that his administration previously deemed illegal. • Analysis: As the cease-fire unraveled, the president’s aides insisted that they were not in violation of the preliminary accord (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/09/us/politics/trump-iran-war.html) . Photo: Reuters For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily (http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily) . Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts (http://nytimes.com/podcasts) or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.