The United States military launched a fresh round of strikes on southern Iran on Monday, the first confirmed American military action since a fragile ceasefire was negotiated last month, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said.
The strikes targeted two Iranian boats that were caught attempting to lay mines in the Strait of Hormuz, both of which were destroyed, along with a surface-to-air missile site at Bandar Abbas that was reportedly tracking US warplanes. American officials described the operation as “defensive strikes.”
“These were defensive strikes… to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces,” a CENTCOM spokesman said, adding that the action did not mean the ceasefire was over. “US Central Command continues to defend our forces while using restraint during the ongoing ceasefire.”
The targeting of mine-laying vessels is significant for shipping. Washington had earlier warned it would shoot Iranian boats caught planting mines in the waterway, and the Strait of Hormuz is the chokepoint through which much of Sri Lanka’s fuel imports transit. The first commercial tankers had only exited the strait days earlier after a long closure.
The strikes came even as the two sides reported halting progress in indirect talks. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei said some progress had been made but that a deal “is not imminent,” echoing Washington’s own warning that it would pursue “another way” if negotiations stall.
The action complicates the optimistic framing offered last week, when President Donald Trump said an agreement was “largely negotiated.” Tehran had recently shut airspace over eight airports amid fears of renewed US action.
