US forces attacked missile sites in southern Iran and boats trying to lay mines on Monday, US Central Command said, as top Iranian negotiators arrived in Doha for talks to end the war.
– “US forces conducted self-defense strikes in southern Iran today to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces,” Tim Hawkins, a US Central Command spokesman, said in a statement.
– It gave no details of the attacks and said only that the targets included missile launch sites and boats trying to “emplace mines.”
– The strikes threatened an already fragile ceasefire that began April 8 as the United States and Iran struggle to reach an accord to end a war that has rattled the global economy with a severe disruption of energy flows.
Rubio says Hormuz strait will reopen ‘one way or the other’
– Top US diplomat Marco Rubio insisted on Tuesday that the blockaded Strait of Hormuz would reopen “one way or the other”, after fresh US strikes on Iran cast doubt on an accord to end the Mideast war.
– “The straits have to be open. They’re going to be open one way or the other, so they need to be open,” Rubio told reporters in the Indian city of Jaipur, where he was making an official visit.
– “What’s happening there is unlawful, it’s illegal, it’s unsustainable for the world, it’s unacceptable,” he said.
Rubio says Iran deal still possible within days despite US strikes
– US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that a deal with Iran was still possible despite new American strikes that cast doubt on their fragile ceasefire.
– “There were some talks going on in Qatar today, so 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 in Jaipur during an official visit to India.
– “The president’s expressed his desire to make it. He’s either going to make a good deal or no deal,” he said.