ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - US forces carried out several strikes on fast boats and missile facilities in southern Iran overnight in what Washington described as defensive strikes aimed at protecting American troops, amid ongoing negotiations over an extended ceasefire between Tehran and Washington.
“U.S. forces conducted self-defense strikes in southern Iran today to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces,” CENTCOM chief spokesperson Captain Tim Hawkins told Fox News on Monday. “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,” he added.
The strikes reportedly took place around midnight near the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas. Iranian media affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said at least four members of the IRGC navy were killed in the attacks.
Iran’s state-run broadcaster IRIB reported several loud explosions in the vicinity of Bandar Abbas at around midnight local time, but did not confirm the US claim. The broadcaster said the situation in the southern port city remained normal and that local authorities were investigating the cause of the blasts.
The attacks came as Iran’s top negotiator and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi traveled to Doha on Monday to continue talks to extend the ceasefire with the US.
The developments also coincided with ongoing negotiations between Tehran and Washington following recent remarks by US President Donald Trump suggesting the two sides were nearing an agreement.
Despite the latest strikes, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio insisted early Tuesday that the Strait of Hormuz would reopen despite rising tensions.
“The straits have to be open. They're going to be open one way or the other, so they need to be open,” Rubio told reporters in the Indian city of Jaipur during an official visit.
“What's happening there is unlawful, it's illegal, it's unsustainable for the world, it's unacceptable,” he added.
The US strikes also coincided with intense Israeli attacks across Lebanon on Monday night. Iran, which supports the Lebanese Hezbollah armed group, has insisted that fighting must stop on all fronts before a lasting ceasefire can be reached.
Trump said late Saturday that Washington and Tehran were close to reaching an agreement and that the Strait of Hormuz “will be opened,” as diplomatic mediation efforts involving several regional countries intensified after earlier negotiations stalled.
Trump said that he spoke with the leaders of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain regarding a draft proposal Iran submitted earlier Saturday aimed at turning the Pakistan-mediated ceasefire that halted the war in April into a permanent truce.
Meanwhile, American news outlet Axios reported a draft agreement under discussion could include a 60-day ceasefire, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and permission for Iran to resume oil exports.
Trump also said on Tuesday on Truth Social that Iran’s enriched uranium should be either 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,” he said.
The United States and Israel launched a large-scale aerial campaign against Iran on February 28, targeting more than 15,000 locations across the country. Tehran responded by launching thousands of drones and missiles across the region before the two sides agreed to a ceasefire on April 8.