American forces on Monday destroyed Iranian vessels laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz and struck missile-launch sites in a series of defensive strikes, United States Central Command said.
“U.S. forces conducted self-defense strikes in southern Iran today to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces,” CENTCOM spokesman Capt. Tim Hawkins told Fox News, adding that the military “continues to defend our forces while using restraint during the ongoing ceasefire.”
A senior U.S. official said the attacks “eliminated” two IRGC mine-laying vessels and a surface-to-air missile site in Bandar Abbas that had been used to target American fighter jets.
Two “well-placed sources” cited by Fox News emphasized that the strikes do not indicate that the temporary ceasefire with Tehran was no longer in force.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Tuesday that the negotiations with Iran could still “take a few days,” stressing that Washington would give diplomacy every chance to succeed before considering taking action against the regime in “another way.”
“The straits have to be open, they’re going to be open one way or the other, so they need to be open,” Rubio said, speaking on his plane during an official visit to India.
“What’s happening there is unlawful; it’s illegal; it’s unsustainable for the world; it’s unacceptable,” he stated. “There were some talks going on in Qatar today, so we’ll see if we can make progress.”
“I think it’s a lot of talking back and forth going on about specific language in the initial document, so it’ll take a few days,” added Rubio. “The president’s expressed his desire to make it. He’s either going to make a good deal or no deal.”
U.S. President Donald Trump in a Truth Social post on Monday reiterated that, as part of the agreement with Tehran, the Islamic Republic should hand over its enriched uranium.
“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,” the president wrote.
Trump earlier on Monday pushed back against critics of the potential deal being negotiated with Iran, writing on his Truth Social account that any such accord “will either be a great and meaningful one, or there will be no deal.”
The proposed terms reportedly include reopening the Strait of Hormuz and easing sanctions to allow Tehran to resume oil exports. In return, Iran reportedly committed not to advance its nuclear program.
Meanwhile, Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei on Tuesday threatened the U.S. and Israel, calling on Muslims worldwide to chant for the destruction of the two nations during the upcoming Hajj pilgrimage.
“In various parts of Iran and the world, and continuing well beyond these blessed days, ‘Death to America” and ‘Death to Israel’ shall become the common chants of the Islamic ummah [nation],” Khamenei said in a written statement issued on the occasion of the Hajj and published in English by the semi-official ISNA news agency.
“The hands of time will not turn back, and the nations and lands of the region will no longer serve as shields for U.S. bases,” he vowed. “The United States not only will no longer have a safe haven for its mischief and for establishing military bases in the region but day by day, it is growing more distant from its former status.”
