U.S. Strikes Iranian Missile Sites and Boats

(By Toby Mann)

The U.S. military says it has launched new strikes targeting missile installations and boats allegedly preparing explosive attacks in southern Iran.

The U.S. Central Command described the attacks as “a self-defensive measure to protect American forces from threats posed by Iranian forces.”

Captain Tim Hawkins, spokesperson for U.S. Central Command, said that American troops continue to operate cautiously during the current ceasefire while maintaining force protection measures.

The strikes came amid comments by Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei, who stated that although some progress had been made in talks with the United States, the two sides were “not close” to reaching an agreement to end the conflict.

It remains unclear what impact the attacks may have on a possible peace agreement between the United States and Iran.

Following the strikes, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there was still an opportunity to reach an agreement, drawing attention to talks scheduled for Tuesday between Iran’s chief negotiator, the Iranian Foreign Minister, and the Prime Minister of Qatar.

“We are trying to determine whether progress can be made. There are still extensive discussions between both sides regarding the precise language that should be included in the document, so it will take several more days,” Rubio told reporters during his visit to India.

He added that President Donald Trump had demonstrated his willingness to reach an agreement.

“President Trump will either reach a good deal or there will be no agreement at all,” Rubio said.

Over the weekend, Trump had claimed that both sides were very close to an agreement. However, he later instructed negotiators not to rush the process. Meanwhile, Rubio had earlier suggested that an agreement could possibly be reached by Monday.

According to The New York Times, Captain Hawkins said the strikes targeted an area near Bandar Abbas, a southern Iranian port city that hosts a naval base located near the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian state media had earlier reported that local officials in Bandar Abbas were investigating reports of explosions heard in the area.

In response, Baghaei said that although both sides had agreed on many of the issues under discussion, “it is too early to say that a final agreement will be signed.”

Reports indicate that the proposed framework agreement includes extending the ceasefire for up to 60 days, reopening the Strait of Hormuz, and establishing a roadmap for further discussions on Iran’s nuclear program.

CBS News, the American partner of the BBC, reported that U.S. intelligence agencies believe Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is staying in a hidden location with extremely limited contact with the outside world. As a result, communication between Iran’s supreme leadership and its representatives has reportedly become slow and difficult, further delaying negotiations with the United States.

According to American media reports, the negotiations are unlikely to produce an immediate final settlement. Contentious issues such as Iranian sanctions, sanctions relief, the release of Iranian funds, and U.S. demands aimed at limiting Iran’s nuclear ambitions are expected to be discussed later.

At the beginning of the conflict, Iran was believed to possess approximately 440 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60% purity, a level considered very close to weapons-grade material. Experts say enriching it further to 90% would be relatively easy and could theoretically enable the production of a nuclear weapon.

Trump stated that Iran’s enriched uranium would either be handed over to the United States “immediately” or destroyed on-site, preferably with Iran’s cooperation.

Since April 8, the United States and Iran have reportedly been observing a ceasefire. Iran has controlled shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, while the U.S. Navy has attempted to blockade Iranian ports.

On February 28, the United States and Israel launched large-scale strikes against Iran, triggering wider regional tensions across the Middle East. Iran responded by attacking Israel and U.S.-allied Gulf states and by closing the Strait of Hormuz. The move contributed to a global rise in fuel prices.

—BBC—