US forces attacked missile sites in southern Iran and boats attempting to lay mines on Monday, according to US Central Command, as top Iranian negotiators arrived in Doha for talks to end the war.
Strikes Threaten Fragile Ceasefire
“US forces conducted self-defence strikes in southern Iran today to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces,” a Centcom spokesperson said. The statement provided no further details, noting only that targets included missile launch sites and boats trying to “emplace mines”.
The strikes threatened an already fragile ceasefire that began on 8 April and came as Iran’s top negotiator and foreign minister were in Doha for talks with Qatar’s prime minister over a potential deal to end the war, Reuters quoted an official as saying.
Trump’s Warning and Negotiations
Meanwhile, Donald Trump said talks with Iran were going “nicely” but warned of fresh attacks if they failed. It “will only be a Great Deal for all, or no Deal at all”, the US president said on social media.
The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, who is in India, said on Tuesday that the Strait of Hormuz had to be opened “one way or the other”. “What’s happening there is unlawful, it’s illegal, it’s unsustainable for the world, it’s unacceptable,” he was quoted as telling reporters. Rubio said the negotiating language of the deal with Iran could “take a few days”.
Other Developments
- Trump said enriched uranium held by Iran could be destroyed inside the country, overseen by an international nuclear agency. Experts said this could amount to a major concession to Tehran.
- Trump also said any deal to end the war with Iran should require certain regional countries – Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey and Pakistan – to sign up to the Abraham Accords, which aimed to normalise relations with Israel and were brokered during his first term.
- Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to “crush” Hezbollah in Lebanon, dealing another blow to hopes for a US-Iran deal. Tehran has demanded that any peace accord apply to the fighting in Lebanon as well.
- Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi praised Hezbollah for the Tehran-backed militant group’s ongoing resistance in Lebanon against Israel.
