The U.S. launched military strikes on Iranian targets Monday, sparking threats of retaliation from Tehran and raising concerns about the stability of ongoing ceasefire negotiations.The U.S. military targeted Iranian missile launch sites and boats accused of laying mines near the Strait of Hormuz. Central Command described the strikes as self-defense and said U.S. forces were exercising restraint during the ceasefire.Tehran, however, called the strikes a clear violation of the ceasefire and a sign of “bad faith and unreliability” during negotiations. Iranian officials said the U.S. would be held responsible for “these hostile acts” and warned that Iran would “leave no act of aggression unanswered.” Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps also claimed it shot down at least one drone and deterred another drone and a fighter jet over Iranian airspace. The Pentagon has not confirmed those claims. President Donald Trump said negotiations are “proceeding nicely,” while Secretary of State Marco Rubio said talks could take a few days. The discussions reportedly focus on extending the ceasefire, limiting Iran’s highly enriched uranium, sanctions relief, and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.The strait is one of the world’s most important energy shipping lanes. Before the war, about one-fifth of the world’s crude oil and natural gas passed through the waterway. Since fighting began, Iran has effectively closed the strait, stranding hundreds of ships and disrupting global supplies of energy, fertilizer and other commodities. Rubio said the strait would be reopened “one way or the other.”Trump also aims to expand the Abraham Accords as part of the Iran deal. These U.S.-brokered agreements from his first term normalized relations between Israel and several Arab countries. Trump is now pushing nations, including Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, to join the accords as part of a broader regional agreement.
The U.S. launched military strikes on Iranian targets Monday, sparking threats of retaliation from Tehran and raising concerns about the stability of ongoing ceasefire negotiations.
The U.S. military targeted Iranian missile launch sites and boats accused of laying mines near the Strait of Hormuz. Central Command described the strikes as self-defense and said U.S. forces were exercising restraint during the ceasefire.
Tehran, however, called the strikes a clear violation of the ceasefire and a sign of “bad faith and unreliability” during negotiations. Iranian officials said the U.S. would be held responsible for “these hostile acts” and warned that Iran would “leave no act of aggression unanswered.”
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps also claimed it shot down at least one drone and deterred another drone and a fighter jet over Iranian airspace. The Pentagon has not confirmed those claims.
President Donald Trump said negotiations are “proceeding nicely,” while Secretary of State Marco Rubio said talks could take a few days. The discussions reportedly focus on extending the ceasefire, limiting Iran’s highly enriched uranium, sanctions relief, and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
The strait is one of the world’s most important energy shipping lanes. Before the war, about one-fifth of the world’s crude oil and natural gas passed through the waterway. Since fighting began, Iran has effectively closed the strait, stranding hundreds of ships and disrupting global supplies of energy, fertilizer and other commodities.
Rubio said the strait would be reopened “one way or the other.”
Trump also aims to expand the Abraham Accords as part of the Iran deal. These U.S.-brokered agreements from his first term normalized relations between Israel and several Arab countries. Trump is now pushing nations, including Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, to join the accords as part of a broader regional agreement.