U.S. forces struck missile-launch sites and other targets in southern Iran on Monday, military officials said, even as the Trump administration signaled that a peace deal between the two sides could be near.
In a statement, U.S. Central Command said the strikes were defensive.
“U.S. forces conducted self-defense strikes in southern Iran today to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces. Targets included missile launch sites and Iranian boats attempting to emplace mines,” CENTCOM spokesman Capt. Tim Hawkins said in a statement to The Washington Times.
“U.S. Central Command continues to defend our forces while using restraint during the ongoing ceasefire,” he said.
CENTCOM offered no further details on the strikes, which come at a crucial moment in negotiations between Washington and Tehran on a lasting end to the conflict between the two countries.
Over the weekend, President Trump said a peace deal with Iran is “largely negotiated,” while Secretary of State Marco Rubio said an agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz could be imminent.
Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz — a vital waterway for moving oil and other essential goods through the Persian Gulf — since the early days of the war.
The U.S. military has led an effort to help commercial ships pass through the strait.
The statement from CENTCOM suggests that Monday’s strikes targeted Iranian boats that could have placed mines along the strait or other waters near the Iranian coast.
Those mines, or the missile launch sites cited by the Pentagon, could also have endangered U.S. troops in the region.
Also Monday, Mr. Trump said that any agreement to end the Iran war should require several additional countries, including Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, to join the Abraham Accords, the U.S.-brokered agreements from Mr. Trump’s first term aimed at normalizing relations with Israel.
The Saudis and Pakistanis each have said, with slightly different formulations, that they will not join the accords until there is an independent Palestinian state — something that is a nonstarter at the moment in domestic Israeli politics.
The president said in a social media post that negotiations with Iran are “proceeding nicely” but tied any eventual agreement to expanded participation in the 2020 accords.
It’s unclear whether Monday’s resumption of U.S. strikes against Iranian targets will affect the ongoing negotiations.
• Mary McCue Bell contributed to this article, which is based in part on wire service reports
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