US military says it has launched new strikes on southern Iran

BBC:

The US military says it has launched new strikes on southern Iran, targeting Iranian missile sites and boats attempting to place mines.

US Central Command said in a statement the strikes were taken in “self-defense”, and were designed “to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces”.

Central Command spokesperson Capt Tim Hawkins said the US military “continues to defend our forces while using restraint during the ongoing ceasefire”.

The strikes come as Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baqai said some progress has been made in talks with the US, but a deal to end the conflict “is not imminent”.

Capt Hawkins said the strikes targeted an area near Bandar Abbas, a southern port city and home of an Iranian naval base that sits on the Strait of Hormuz, according to the New York Times.

Iranian state media had earlier reported that local officials in Bandar Abbas were investigating after explosions were heard.

Iran is yet to respond to the latest US strikes. It is unclear what impact they will have on any potential peace agreement between the US and Iran.

Following the strikes, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said a deal was still possible and pointed to talks on Tuesday between Iran’s top negotiator and foreign minister and Qatar’s prime minister.

“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,” Rubio told reporters during an official visit to India.

He said President Donald Trump had “expressed his desire to make it”.

“He’s either going to make a good deal or no deal,” Rubio said.

At the weekend, Trump had suggested the sides were close to a deal, but later said he had instructed negotiators “not to rush into” one, while Rubio had said an agreement could possibly be reached on Monday.

But Baqai responded: “It is correct to say that we have reached a conclusion on a large portion of the issues under discussion… But to say that this means the signing of an agreement is imminent – no-one can make such a claim.”

The memorandum of understanding being discussed reportedly involves a 60-day ceasefire extension, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and a plan for further negotiations over Iran’s nuclear programme.

CBS News, the BBC’s US partner, has reported that US intelligence believes Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei – who was injured in an Israeli strike on the first day of the war which killed his father and predecessor – is holed up in an undisclosed location, making communication with his envoys difficult and therefore delaying pace of talks with the US.

According to US media, the discussions will not immediately lead to a final settlement. Contentious issues will likely be negotiated later, including details of Iranian sanctions relief, the release of frozen Iranian funds, and US demands for Iran to curb its nuclear ambitions.