US calls operation ‘self-defence’
CENTCOM said the strikes were aimed at protecting American troops from Iranian threats
The United States on Monday confirmed carrying out what it described as “self-defence” strikes in southern Iran, targeting missile launch sites and boats allegedly laying mines near the Strait of Hormuz, even as President Donald Trump claimed peace negotiations with Tehran were “proceeding nicely.”
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the strikes were conducted to protect American troops from threats posed by Iranian forces in the region.
“US forces conducted self-defence strikes in southern Iran today to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces,” CENTCOM spokesman Timothy Hawkins said in a statement while responding to reports of explosions near the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
Hawkins said the operation targeted missile launch sites and Iranian boats attempting to place mines in the waterway.
“Targets included missile launch sites and Iranian boats attempting to emplace mines. US Central Command continues to defend our forces while using restraint during the ongoing ceasefire,” he added.
According to a senior US official quoted by Fox News, two vessels belonging to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) were spotted laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz. American forces also responded after a missile site allegedly targeted US military aircraft.
The report said US forces destroyed both IRGC boats and carried out strikes on a surface-to-air missile (SAM) site in Bandar Abbas.
The senior official described the military action as “defensive strikes,” adding that both the vessels and the missile installation were destroyed during the operation.
Two additional sources cited by Fox News stressed that the strikes did not indicate a collapse of the ongoing ceasefire arrangement between Washington and Tehran, saying the military response remained limited in scope.
The developments followed reports of explosions along Iran’s southern coast on Monday. Iranian media reported blasts in Bandar Abbas, while additional explosions were heard near Sirik and Jask.
The senior US official later said the strikes were “over for now.”
The military action came just hours after President Trump signalled progress in ceasefire negotiations with Iran. In a post on Truth Social, Trump claimed that Iran’s enriched uranium would either be handed over to the United States or destroyed under international supervision.
“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.
Trump also said any final agreement to end the Iran conflict should require more countries to join the Abraham Accords, the US-brokered agreements aimed at normalising ties with Israel.
He specifically named Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt and Jordan as countries that should join the accords “immediately.” Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates became the first signatories in 2020 during Trump’s first term.
“After all the work done by the United States to try and pull this very complex puzzle together, it should be mandatory that all of these Countries, at a minimum, simultaneously sign onto the Abraham Accords,” Trump said.
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Trump is suffering from the Iranian Hemeroids.