The U.S. military conducted fresh strikes in southern Iran on Monday against missile launch sites and mine-laying boats, according to media reports citing comments from Central Command.
The strikes were "defensive" in nature and did not indicate that a ceasefire with Iran had ended, reports said. The development was first reported by Fox News.
"U.S. forces conducted self-defense strikes in southern Iran today... Targets included missile launch sites and Iranian boats attempting to emplace mines," CENTCOM spokesperson Tim Hawkins told U.S. media.
"These were defensive strikes. They do not indicate ceasefire is over," Hawkins said. "U.S. Central Command continues to defend our forces while using restraint during the ongoing ceasefire," he added.
Iran’s response to the attacks was not immediately clear. Monday’s strikes come amid already strained ties between the U.S. and Iran, and could further threaten a tenuous ceasefire between the two countries.
U.S. President Donald Trump had repeatedly threatened more military action against Iran if it did not accept a broader peace deal with Washington.
But a host of reports over the weekend said the U.S. and Iran had reached a framework deal to extend their ceasefire and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
It was not immediately clear if the fresh U.S. strikes had destabilized negotiations.
Trump said on Monday evening that Iran’s enriched uranium will either be turned over to Washington or destroyed in place or in cooperation with the Atomic Energy Commission.
“The Enriched Uranium (Nuclear Dust!) will either be immediately turned over to the United States to be brought home and destroyed or… destroyed in place or, at another acceptable location," Trump in a social media post.
Trump’s comment comes after the president said earlier in the day that negotiations with Iran were “proceeding nicely." He has repeatedly called on Iran to hand over its enriched uranium holdings as part of any agreement with Washington.
But reports over the weekend showed Iran largely rejecting U.S. demands to relinquish its uranium stockpiles.
Still, a host of reports showed that the U.S. and Iran were close to reaching a deal to extend their ceasefire and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Reports suggested a framework deal had been reached– one involving the reopening of the shipping lane, as well as commitments from Iran that it will not pursue nuclear weapons.
Tehran will also enter negotiations over its future uranium enrichment activities, reports said.
Trump has repeatedly touted preventing Iran from building a nuclear weapon as the main objective of U.S.-Israeli hostilities against Iran. The president threatened more military action against Tehran if it did not accept a peace deal with the United States.
