The U.S. military launched new strikes in southern Iran on Monday, targeting missile launch sites and boats allegedly attempting to lay mines near the Strait of Hormuz, as tensions between Washington and Tehran threatened to undermine ongoing ceasefire negotiations.
U.S. Central Command described the operation as "self-defense strikes" carried out "to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces." Capt. Tim Hawkins, a Centcom spokesperson, said the strikes targeted areas near Bandar Abbas, home to a major Iranian naval base overlooking the strategic shipping corridor.
"U.S. Central Command continues to defend our forces while using restraint during the ongoing cease-fire," Hawkins said in a statement reported by BBC.
According to U.S. military officials cited by The New York Times, Iranian missile systems had recently threatened American warships and aircraft operating near the Gulf of Oman and Arabian Sea. Intelligence assessments reviewed by U.S. officials reportedly concluded that Iran has restored operational access to most of its missile infrastructure along the Strait of Hormuz despite months of U.S. and Israeli strikes.
The latest strikes came as Iranian negotiators met in Qatar for talks aimed at extending the ceasefire and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global oil transit route. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said negotiators were down to disagreements over "a word, a sentence," while cautioning that talks could still take several days.
Iran, however, has remained more cautious publicly. Foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baqai said it would be inaccurate to claim a deal was imminent despite progress in negotiations.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned Tuesday it would "respond decisively to any violation of the ceasefire," according to NBC News. Iranian state media also reported that the IRGC claimed to have fired at a U.S. fighter jet and drones entering Iranian airspace, and said it had downed an American drone, though the Pentagon did not immediately confirm those claims.
The renewed military activity follows reports that the U.S. intelligence community has been assessing how Iran might respond to possible future American military action. Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei warned Tuesday that the Middle East "will no longer be shields for U.S. bases."
