The US military carried out fresh strikes on Iranian missile launch sites and boats near the Strait of Hormuz, describing the operation as a series of “self-defence strikes” amid ongoing peace negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
US Central Command said the attacks were aimed at “protecting our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces.”
“US Central Command continues to defend our forces while exercising restraint during the ongoing ceasefire,” Navy Captain Tim Hawkins, a Central Command spokesperson, said in a statement.
The development comes just hours after US President Donald Trump hinted at a possible breakthrough in negotiations, saying Iran’s enriched uranium would either be handed over to the United States for destruction or eliminated at an agreed location.
In a lengthy post on Truth Social on Monday, Trump said talks with Iran were progressing “nicely” but warned that military action remained an option if diplomacy failed.
“It will only be a Great Deal for all, or no Deal at all,” he wrote.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking to reporters in New Delhi earlier in the day, said Washington would give diplomacy every opportunity to succeed before considering “another way” of dealing with Iran.
“There is a pretty solid proposal on the table regarding their ability to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, maintain maritime access, and enter into a serious, time-bound negotiation on the nuclear issue. Hopefully, we can make it work,” Rubio said.
Meanwhile, Iranian state-linked news agencies reported that Tehran had shot down a “hostile” stealth drone using a newly deployed air defence system.
“This is a message from us that no stealth drone can penetrate the skies over the Persian Gulf anymore,” Fars News Agency quoted unnamed officials as saying.