US forces carried out what it described as “self-defense strikes” against Iranian missile launch sites and boats attempting to lay mines in southern Iran on Monday, imperiling a fragile ceasefire and casting new doubt on diplomatic efforts to end the months-long Middle East war. US Central Command said the strikes targeted missile sites and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps vessels seen emplacing mines near the Strait of Hormuz, and also hit a surface-to-air missile site in Bandar Abbas that was reportedly targeting US warplanes. Spokesman Capt. Tim Hawkins said the actions were taken “to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces” and that CENTCOM “continues to defend our forces while using restraint during the ongoing ceasefire”. Two IRGC boats were “eliminated” and four personnel were reported killed, while Iran claimed it shot down a US MQ-9 Reaper drone.
The strikes came as Tehran’s top negotiator, Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, remained in Qatar for a second day of talks on a deal to end the war, and just hours after Iran delayed announcing IRGC casualties to avoid derailing negotiations. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that a deal was still possible despite the attacks, noting “there were some talks going on in Qatar today” and that it would “take a few days” to resolve specific language. Rubio added the Strait of Hormuz was “going to be open one way or the other,” calling Iran’s blockade “unlawful, illegal, unsustainable for the world”. The tentative framework being discussed would reopen the strait without tolls, end fighting for 60 days, and begin a window to negotiate an end to Iran’s nuclear program, with the US lifting its port blockade and waiving some sanctions in return.
Oil prices rose on the news, with Brent crude up about 2.4% to $98.50 a barrel, as uncertainty persisted over when shipping through the vital waterway would resume. Iran’s state-run broadcaster IRIB reported several loud explosions near Bandar Abbas around midnight local time, though authorities said the situation was normal and under investigation. The strikes occurred despite a ceasefire that began April 8, and US officials said the truce remained in effect even as both sides exchanged fire. President Donald Trump warned separately that Iran’s enriched uranium must be handed over to the US or destroyed under international supervision, writing that the “Enriched Uranium (Nuclear Dust!) will either be immediately turned over to the United States… or, preferably… destroyed in place”.
The renewed fighting coincided with Israel intensifying operations against Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowing to “crush” the group. Iran has demanded that any peace accord apply to the fighting in Lebanon as well. Iranian officials and mediators said diplomacy would continue despite the strike, with government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani saying Ghalibaf’s negotiating role “will benefit the Iranian people,” though she criticized “contradictions from the US” as an issue in the talks.
