The U.S. military launched “self-defense” strikes in southern Iran on Monday, targeting Iranian boats and missile launch sites as negotiations between Washington and Tehran continued.
U.S. Central Command said American forces carried out the strikes against boats attempting to lay mines and missile launch sites, Reuters reported. CENTCOM described the action as defensive and said the strikes aimed to protect U.S. troops from threats posed by Iranian forces.
“U.S. forces conducted self-defense strikes in southern Iran today to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces,” Navy Capt. Tim Hawkins, a CENTCOM spokesperson, said, according to The National News Desk.
The strikes came as President Donald Trump said talks with Iran were “proceeding nicely,” according to the Associated Press. Trump has said he does not want U.S. negotiators to rush into a deal.
Ceasefire Faces New Test
The Associated Press reported that U.S. officials described the strikes as part of an effort to protect American forces during ongoing ceasefire talks. The AP reported that Iran had not immediately issued an official response.
Iranian state television reported blasts near Bandar Abbas, a strategic port city near the Strait of Hormuz, according to the AP. Iranian news outlet Tabnak identified four Revolutionary Guard troops it said died in American strikes on boats.
The Strait of Hormuz remains central to the talks because it serves as one of the world’s most important energy chokepoints. The AP reported that the waterway remains a major point of disruption for global energy markets.
Deal Remains Unfinished
Trump said over the weekend that negotiations with Iran had advanced, but he later warned against rushing the talks.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday that people should not “read too much” into the fact that a final deal had not yet been completed, Fox reported. Rubio said Iranian leaders can take longer to respond during talks and added, “the President’s not going to make a bad deal.”
The emerging proposal reportedly includes reopening the Strait of Hormuz and continuing talks over Iran’s nuclear program, according to Fox. Rubio referenced “a very real, significant time limit of negotiation on the nuclear matter,” while prior reporting has pointed to a possible 60-day window for discussions over Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
Trump also said Monday that several Middle Eastern nations should join the Abraham Accords as part of a broader agreement to end the Iran war, according to the AP. Trump named Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, while noting that Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates had already joined the accords.
The strikes underscored the fragile state of the ceasefire. U.S. forces continue to act against threats in Iran while the Trump administration presses for a deal that could reopen the Strait of Hormuz and address Iran’s nuclear program.
