United States Carries Out Self-Defense Strikes in Southern Iran, Iran Warns Retaliation

The United States carried out “self-defense” strikes in southern Iran, targeting missile launch sites and Iranian boats attempting to emplace mines, even as President Donald Trump said negotiations were “proceeding nicely.”

“Tehran, Iran – Iran and the United States continue negotiations through intermediaries to reach an understanding, but no deal appears imminent after another exchange of fire amid an air of distrust”

Al Jazeera

Capt. Tim Hawkins, the U.S. Central Command spokesman, said the strikes were “to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces,” while also adding that the military was “using restraint during the ongoing ceasefire.”

Al Jazeera

Iran’s foreign ministry said the U.S. had committed “a clear violation of the ceasefire” after the strikes, and Tehran warned it would “leave no act of aggression unanswered.”

The strikes came as Iranian negotiators were in Qatar for talks, with the U.S. military describing the action as intended “to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said a deal could be finalized in “a couple of days,” while also telling reporters that negotiators were down to “disagreements over a word, a sentence.”

Rubio also said the straits “have to be open” and “they’re going to be open one way or the other,” as the U.S. strikes continued to be debated alongside the talks in Qatar.

Anadolu Ajansı

Iran’s statement denounced the strikes as “gross violation” of the ceasefire, and said “Without a doubt, the Islamic Republic of Iran will not leave any evil unanswered.”

In Washington, Trump said on social media that the Cabinet meeting expected at Camp David would instead happen at the White House because of possible bad weather conditions, while CBS News reported foreign policy would be discussed at the meeting.

The U.S. military said it had turned around a total of 108 ships since a blockade of Iranian ports and vessels linked with the regime was implemented on April 13, and the update came as the talks continued.

“Iran condemns US strikes as 'gross violation' of ceasefire Iran says the US has committed a "gross violation" of the ceasefire with new air strikes it launched on the country”

BBC

The blockade and the disruption of maritime traffic were described as throttling global energy and food supplies, with the Strait of Hormuz remaining effectively in Iran’s chokehold.

The New York Times reported that escalation in Lebanon might make it harder for negotiators to reach a peace deal, as U.S. strikes hit missile launch sites and boats trying to emplace mines in Iran’s Gulf Coast.

In parallel, the CBS News live updates described Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon that killed 31 people and wounded 40, while Israel said it was intensifying attacks despite a fragile truce with Hezbollah.