The United States announced that it launched attacks against missile launch sites in southern Iran and boats attempting to plant mines on Monday, jeopardizing a fragile ceasefire and raising doubts about the possibility of reaching an agreement to end the war in the Middle East.
The strikes came as top Iranian negotiators arrived in Doha for the latest round of talks to end the months-long conflict, and as the Israeli military escalated its hostilities against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
“U.S. forces conducted defensive strikes in southern Iran today to protect our forces from threats posed by Iranian forces,” said Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command, in a statement.
The statement provided no details about the attacks other than that the targets included missile launch sites and boats attempting to “plant mines”.
Iranian state broadcaster IRIB reported hearing explosions in the vicinity of Bandar Abbas around midnight local time (20:30 GMT Monday).
She added that the situation in the southern coastal city is normal and local authorities are investigating the cause of the explosions.
These strikes threaten the fragile ceasefire that went into effect between the two sides on April 8, while the United States and Iran are engaged in diplomatic efforts to reach an agreement to end the war that has shaken the global economy and disrupted energy flows.
Hopes for an agreement suffered another blow when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to "crush" the Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon. Iran insists that any peace agreement must include a cessation of hostilities in Lebanon.
Trump said in a social media post that he expects Iran to hand over its enriched uranium to the United States for destruction , or to have it destroyed on site in the presence of international witnesses.
Trump wrote, “The enriched uranium (nuclear dust) will either be immediately delivered to the United States for removal home and destruction, or, preferably, in coordination with the Islamic Republic of Iran, destroyed in place or at another acceptable location in the presence of the Atomic Energy Commission, or equivalent, as a witness to this process and event.”
The Atomic Energy Commission cited by Trump was abolished in 1974, with its functions divided between two successor bodies.
On Monday, Trump urged Muslim countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Pakistan, to normalize relations with Israel as part of the agreement with Iran.
In a lengthy social media post, Trump named the countries whose leaders he spoke with on Saturday about efforts to end the war with Iran. He said, “I made it clear that after all the efforts the United States has made to try to resolve this complex dilemma, all of these countries should, at a minimum and simultaneously, join the Abraham Accords.”
He added, “If (these countries) do not do that, they will not be part of this agreement (with Iran) because it reveals bad intentions.”
US and Iranian forces have adhered to a ceasefire since April 8, while diplomats push for a negotiated settlement.
While the Abraham Accords were welcomed by some, they remain unpopular in many parts of the Middle East, partly because they failed to address the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Influential Gulf states such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar have declared that they will not normalize relations with Israel unless an independent Palestinian state is established.
"Good deal"
Anna Jacobs of the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington said that in light of “the disastrous outcome of the war,” this new demand from the US administration demonstrates “the extent of its lack of understanding of the Middle East.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that reaching an agreement with Iran was still possible, despite the new US strikes.
Rubio told reporters in Jaipur during an official visit to India, “There were some talks in Qatar today, and we’ll see if we can make any progress… so it will take a few days.” He continued, “The president has expressed his desire to reach an agreement. It’s either a good deal or no deal.”
Rubio asserted on Tuesday that the Strait of Hormuz would be reopened “one way or another,” adding, “What is happening there is illegal, illegitimate, unsustainable for the world, and unacceptable.”
For his part, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghaei stated during the weekly briefing on Monday regarding the talks with the United States, “It can be said that we have reached a conclusion on a large number of issues under discussion,” but “it cannot be said that this means that an agreement is imminent,” accusing Washington of changing its positions.
Iran’s official news agency IRNA reported that an Iranian delegation led by Parliament Speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf is visiting Doha as part of the “diplomatic track” of Pakistani mediation to end the war with the United States.
Other Iranian media outlets, including the Tasnim and Fars news agencies, clarified that the delegation includes Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and Central Bank Governor Abdolnasser Hemmati.
An informed source in Doha said the talks fall within the framework of “ongoing diplomatic efforts to end the war.”
He added that “the governor of the central bank is part of the delegation to discuss the issue of frozen (Iranian) funds addressed in the memorandum of understanding as part of the possible final agreement.”
The price of West Texas Intermediate crude, the US benchmark for oil, fell by more than 5% on Tuesday, despite US forces launching new strikes against missile launch sites in southern Iran.
Around 00:30 GMT, the price of West Texas Intermediate crude oil fell by 5.46 percent, bringing the price per barrel to $91.33.
However, the price of Brent crude rose by 1.6% to $97.68 a barrel.
“Intensifying” strikes in Lebanon
Iran is also demanding, according to Iranian media, that a ceasefire in Lebanon between Israel and the Tehran-backed Hezbollah be part of what it calls an “understanding” that is being worked on.
But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Monday that Israel would intensify its military operations against Hezbollah. In a video posted to his Telegram channel, he said, “We will not slow down the offensive; on the contrary, I have ordered it to be accelerated. We will intensify the strikes and increase their power, and we will crush Hezbollah.”
On Monday, Israel intensified its raids on southern and eastern Lebanon, targeting several areas including the coastal city of Tyre and Nabatieh, and other towns that were subject to evacuation warnings.
Following the announcement of the escalation, residents fled the southern suburbs of Beirut, a stronghold of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah.
The Israeli army announced on Monday that it had bombed more than 70 infrastructure sites it said belonged to Hezbollah in the past 24 hours and carried out more than 85 raids in various areas of Lebanon during the day.
Netanyahu said earlier that Trump had assured him during the call of Israel's "right" to defend itself on all fronts, including Lebanon. Marco Rubio echoed this, stating that "Israel always has the right to defend itself. Every country in the world has that right."
The Iranian-backed Hezbollah group claimed responsibility for several attacks on Monday targeting three barracks and a military site in northern Israel “in response to a breach” of the ceasefire by Israel, which announced it would “intensify” strikes in Lebanon
