The United States military on Tuesday launched strikes on targets in southern Iran even as top Iranian negotiators gathered in Qatar for peace talks. US Central Command (CENTCOM) said it carried out the “self-defence strikes” to protect US troops from threats posed by Iranian forces.
“Targets included missile launch sites and Iranian boats attempting to emplace mines,” Navy Captain Tim Hawkins, a CENTCOM spokesperson, said in a statement late on Monday.
There were no further details provided by CENTCOM.
However, Iranian sources confirmed that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had targeted a vessel at sea before the US strikes. The American strikes killed several personnel linked to the Iranian guard corps.
The attacks mark the first skirmish after nearly two months of a fragile ceasefire between the two sides.
Meanwhile, a high-level Iranian delegation is in Qatar, which includes Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.
On Monday, President Donald Trump confirmed that peace talks were heading in a positive direction but insisted he would not agree to anything less than a substantial deal.
“It will only be a Great Deal for all or no Deal at all — Back to the Battlefront and shooting, but bigger and stronger than ever before — And nobody wants that!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
He also urged other Muslim nations like Saudi Arabia and Pakistan to sign up to the Abraham Accords to normalise ties with Israel.
Also read: Peace deal with Iran not fully negotiated, says Trump
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