US conducts self-defense strikes against Iran missile sites to 'protect troops' amid peace talks
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Source: Daily Mail
The United States launched what officials described as narrowly targeted 'self-defense strikes' inside Iran on Monday night, escalating tensions in the region even as diplomats continued to push for a fragile ceasefire and broader peace talks.
According to US Central Command, American forces targeted missile launch sites in southern Iran as well as Iranian vessels allegedly attempting to lay naval mines in strategic waterways used by military and commercial ships.
'US forces conducted self-defense strikes in southern Iran today to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces,' CENTCOM spokesman Capt. Tim Hawkins told Fox News in a statement.
'Targets included missile launch sites and Iranian boats attempting to emplace mines. U.S. Central Command continues to defend our forces while using restraint during the ongoing ceasefire.'
Top Iranian negotiators were in Doha Monday for talks to end the war with the United States, even as both sides downplayed prospects of an imminent deal.
The US and Iran have held a ceasefire since April 7. The stalemate has seen few small attacks since last month, though none have violated the ceasefire’s terms.
The fragile hope of an accord in recent days was dealt a fresh blow when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to 'crush' Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.
President Donald Trump made demands for a broad accord across the Middle East, involving normalization of ties with Israel, as part of any agreement with Iran.
Amid fresh threats and hurdles from the US-Israeli side, Trump enumerated pathways for Iran's enriched uranium, a key sticking point in efforts to end the war, in a post to his Truth Social platform.
'The Enriched Uranium (Nuclear Dust!) will either be immediately turned over to the United States to be brought home and destroyed or, preferably, in conjunction and coordination with the Islamic Republic of Iran, destroyed in place or, at another acceptable location, with the Atomic Energy Commission, or its equivalent, being witness to this process and event,' Trump wrote.
It was not clear if he meant this is part of an emerging accord with Iran.
The Atomic Energy Commission that Trump cited was abolished in 1974 and its functions were divided between two successor bodies.
Earlier on Monday, Trump said it should be mandatory for Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Pakistan, Egypt, Turkey, Bahrain and Jordan to sign up to the Abraham Accords, a set of agreements brokered in 2020 with nations historically hostile to Israel.
Trump said he had spoken to the leaders of those countries Saturday about efforts to end the war with Iran. Bahrain and the UAE have already signed the accords, along with Morocco and Sudan.
US and Iranian forces have observed a ceasefire since April 8 while diplomats push for a negotiated settlement, although Iran has maintained controls on Gulf shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and the US Navy has sought to blockade Iran's ports.
Trump said earlier on Monday that a deal with Iran would either be 'great and meaningful' or there would be 'no deal.'
But while the accords were welcomed by some, they remain deeply unpopular in many parts of the Middle East - in part because they fail to address the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
