After days of lull, the US struck in southern Iran on Monday, targeting Iranian missile sites and boats attempting to place mines.
The strikes were in “self-defence and designed to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces”, US Central Command (Centcom) said in a statement.
Iran downs US drone, fires at fighter jet
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), on the other hand, said it had downed a US drone and fired at a fighter jet and another drone that entered Iranian airspace. It did not specify when this happened. It said Iran had the “legitimate and definite” right to retaliate against any US ceasefire violations. “Without a doubt, the Islamic Republic of Iran will not leave any evil unanswered and will not hesitate to defend the Iranian nation,” the Iranian statement said.
Centcom spokesperson Capt Tim Hawkins, however, said they “continue to defend their forces while using restraint during the ongoing ceasefire”. He said the US 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.
We’ll see if we can make progress: Rubio
While the latest US strikes have again put any potential peace agreement between the US and Iran on the backburner, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said a deal was still possible and pointed to talks on Tuesday between Iran’s 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 is “either going to make a good deal or no deal”.
Middle East won’t serve as shields for US bases: Khamenei
Meanwhile, Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said the Middle East “will no longer serve as shields for US bases”. “In addition to no longer having a safe haven for evil and establishing military bases in the region, America is moving away from its previous status day by day.”
Trump, however, stuck to his stand by stating on Monday night that the enriched uranium would either be “immediately” turned over to the US or “preferably, in conjunction and coordination with the Islamic Republic of Iran, destroyed in place”. For Iran, on the other hand, the Hormuz tolls extracted by the US and the opening of the strait remain the major sticking points.
Also read: Israeli airstrikes in eastern Lebanon kills 12
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