US Conducts 'Self-Defense' Strikes in Southern Iran, Iran Vows Retaliation Amid Ceasefire Tensions
The United States conducted 'self-defense' strikes in southern Iran, targeting missile sites and mine-laying boats, according to US Central Command. Iran accused the US of breaching the ceasefire, with Iranian state media reporting explosions in Bandar Abbas and downing a US drone. The strikes threatened a fragile ceasefire and raised concerns about the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Where Sources Diverge
The exact nature and number of targets struck by the US are not specified in all reports, with some sources citing missile sites and mine-laying boats while others are more vague.
US forces attacked missile sites in southern Iran and boats trying to lay mines.
Military officials said the strikes targeted missile sites near a major Iranian port that threatened U.S. ships.
U.S. renews strikes on Iran, citing threats posed to American troops.
The timeline and specifics of the Iranian response to the strikes are inconsistent across sources, with some reporting explosions in Bandar Abbas and others noting the downing of a drone and firing at an F-35.
Iranian state media reported overnight blasts in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas, near the Strait of Hormuz, and the country’s Revolutionary Guards said its forces had downed a US drone entering its airspace and had fired at an F-35 fighter jet.
Iranian state media reported overnight blasts in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas, near the Strait of Hormuz, and the country’s Revolutionary Guards said its forces had downed a US drone entering its airspace and had fired at an F-35 fighter jet.
The attacks took place while Iranian and Qatari negotiators were in Doha for peace talks.
The exact impact of the strikes on the ceasefire and the timeline for resuming negotiations are reported differently, with some sources indicating the ceasefire is still in effect while others suggest it is broken.
The strikes threatened a fragile ceasefire that began April 8.
The attacks took place while Iranian and Qatari negotiators were in Doha for peace talks.
Tehran condemns 'definitive violation' but announces no specific reprisals as negotiations near decisive stage.
Timelines
Sources
• Washington says strikes targeted Iranian missile sites, mine-laying boats • Rubio says Iran deal may take ‘a few days’; insists Hormuz will reopen ‘one way or the other’ • Iran says US drone downed, F-35 fired at; tanker damaged by external explosion off Oman • Trump to hold Camp David cabinet meeting on Iran crisis TEHRAN: Iran accused the United States of breaching their ceasefire on Tuesday and warned it was ready to retaliate and “will not leave any evil unanswered” after overnight US strikes targeting Iranian missile sites and mine-laying boats threatened a deal to end the war. The Brent benchmark oil price jumped up by more than four per cent after US Central Command announced the new wave of bombings, and China urged both sides to respect the truce and to resolve their dispute peacefully. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, meanwhile, said negotiating a deal to halt the conflict could “take a few days”. According to Iranian media, Iran’s negotiators had been pushing for the memorandum to include the release of billions of frozen assets at talks in Qatar. The maritime safety monitor UKMTO said a blast damaged a tanker on the waterline off Oman — although the crew and vessel were reportedly safe after what was described as an “external explosion”. Iranian state media reported overnight blasts in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas, near the Strait of Hormuz, and the country’s Revolutionary Guards said its forces had downed a US drone entering its airspace and had fired at an F-35 fighter jet. “The US terrorist army, continuing its illegal and unjustified actions since the ceasefire … has, in the past 48 hours, committed a gross violation of the ceasefire in the Hormozgan region,” the Iranian foreign ministry said. It added that Tehran “will not leave any evil unanswered and will not hesitate to defend the Iranian nation”, without elaborating. A senior spokesperson for Iran’s armed forces also warned that any resumption of US and Israeli air strikes on Iran would meet a “heavier” and “stronger” retaliation, Al Jazeera reported. “If the region enters another round of war, Iran’s response will extend beyond regional borders and will be much heavier and stronger,” Abolfazl Shekarchi said in remarks carried by the Fars news agency. Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for US Central Command, said: “US forces conducted self-defence strikes in southern Iran today to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces.” He gave few details of the attacks and said only that the targets included missile launch sites and boats trying to “emplace mines”. Despite the strikes, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that a deal remained within reach. But he remained firm on the Strait of Hormuz, the key oil and gas shipping route which Iran is seeking to control. “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, during a visit to India. He said the strait was “going to be open one way or the other,” adding: “What’s happening there is unlawful, it’s illegal, it’s unsustainable for the world, it’s unacceptable.” Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump is set to hold a rare cabinet meeting at the Camp David presidential retreat as Iran talks near a critical point, a White House official told AFP. The New York Post reported that Iran was set to dominate the meeting, which was expected to be attended by all cabinet members. Doha talks Iranian and US officials have indicated that recent indirect talks made progress on a memorandum of understanding, or initial deal, that would lead to further negotiations over a final agreement. Iran’s top negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, its foreign minister and its central bank governor were in Doha on Monday for talks with Qatar’s prime minister on a potential deal, an official briefed on the visit said. Qalibaf returned to Iran after seeking agreement on the release of around $24 billion of frozen Iranian funds as part of the memorandum of understanding, Iranian media reported. Iran’s Fars news agency cited a source saying that the unfreezing of the funds was the last serious sticking point for the memorandum of understanding to be finalised. According to Iranian sources, an initial deal would cover ending the war on all fronts, establishing a 30-day framework for restarting movement through the Strait of Hormuz, and possibly providing some financial relief — with more complex issues such as Iran’s nuclear programme to be negotiated in a second phase. Iran has been letting some ships through the strait, giving preference to vessels linked to countries with which it has alliances or close ties, and striking government-to-government agreements, Reuters has reported. Trump has said his key aim in the war is to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon with its highly enriched uranium. Tehran denies any such plans. Published in Dawn, May 27th, 2026
Iran accused the United States on Tuesday of breaching a fragile ceasefire with strikes near the Strait of Hormuz, threatening efforts to end nearly seven weeks of conflict. Washington said the attacks were defensive, targeting missile sites and vessels allegedly laying mines.
The warnings came after U.S. forces struck military sites in Iran. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that negotiations to end the war were continuing.
Iranian state media reported overnight blasts in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas, near the Strait of Hormuz, and the country’s Revolutionary Guards said its forces had downed a U.S. drone entering its airspace and had fired at an F-35 fighter jet
Tehran condemns ‘definitive violation’ but announces no specific reprisals as negotiations near decisive stage Middle East crisis – live updates A proposed peace agreement between Iran and the US seemed to still be in prospect on Tuesday despite US bombings of Iranian targets – the first military action by Washington since the 8 April ceasefire. The Iranian foreign ministry denounced the US attack – aimed at missile launchers and efforts to lay fresh mines in the strait of Hormuz – as “an act of bad faith” and “a definitive violation of the ceasefire”, adding that it would not leave aggression unanswered. But it conspicuously did not pull out of the talks that were continuing under the joint mediation of Pakistan and Qatar. Continue reading...
The attacks took place while Iranian and Qatari negotiators were in Doha for peace talks.
Before the US strikes on targets in southern Iran, Tehran said a deal with Washington was not imminent.
US forces struck Iranian missile sites and boats near the Strait of Hormuz. This happened during peace talks aimed at ending a three-month conflict. Iran accused the US of a war crime. Reports mentioned explosions and fatalities on Larak Island. Discussions continue on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and Iran's uranium stockpile.
US forces attacked missile sites in southern Iran and boats trying to lay mines on Monday, US Central Command said, imperiling a fragile ceasefire and casting new doubt on a deal to end the Middle East war. 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 stepped up hostilities with Iran-backed Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. Oil prices fluctuated in the wake of the US strikes, which may threaten any agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, where an Iranian blockade has choked global fuel supplies. “US forces conducted self-defence 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”. Iran’s state-run broadcaster IRIB reported several loud explosions were heard in the vicinity of Bandar Abbas at around midnight local time (2030 GMT on Monday). It added that the situation in the southern port city was normal and local authorities were investigating the cause of the blasts. The strikes threatened a 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. Hopes of an accord took another blow when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to “crush” Hezbollah in Lebanon. Iran has demanded that any peace accord apply to the fighting in Lebanon as well. Trump also said in a social media post he expected Iran to hand over its enriched uranium to the United States to be destroyed, or have it destroyed in Iran with an international witness. “The Enriched Uranium (Nuclear Dust!) will either be immediately turned over to the United States to be brought home and destroyed or, preferably, in conjunction and coordination with the Islamic Republic of Iran, destroyed in place or, at another acceptable location, with the Atomic Energy Commission, or its equivalent, being witness to this process and event,” Trump wrote. It was not clear whether he meant this would be part of a potential accord with Iran, and the commission he cited was abolished in 1974. Trump pushes Abraham Accords In an earlier Truth Social post, Trump also called on more Arab and Muslim states to sign up to the Abraham Accords, brokered during his first term in office and aimed at normalising ties between those states and Israel. He said Saudi Arabia and Qatar should immediately sign and Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan and Turkey should follow suit, calling his request mandatory. Netanyahu’s office did not respond to a request for comment. It is worth noting that the nations named by Trump, including Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, have traditionally advocated for a two-state solution between Palestine and Israel as a precursor to any discussions on the normalisation of relations with Israel. Bahrain and the UAE have already signed the accords, along with Morocco and Sudan. While Pakistani officials have yet to comment on Trump’s latest demand, Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi addressed a query regarding a proposal to join the accords during a weekly briefing earlier this year. He said Islamabad’s “position with respect to it is that there are certain benchmarks that have to be achieved for Pakistan, which is the creation of a viable contiguous state of Palestine, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif (Jerusalem) as its capital. We will then see how this State of Palestine has relationships with other countries, including potentially Israel. So that is our benchmark. We are not aware, or not concerned about who does or who does not join the Abraham Accord”. Iran deal sticking points Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said on Monday that the potential Iran deal contained no specific details on management of the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas usually flows. Iran will not charge tolls for ships to pass through but there will be a cost for services offered such as navigation and steps to protect the environment, he said, under a protocol to be agreed with Oman, which lies on the opposite shore of the waterway. Citing a Middle East diplomatic source, Japan’s Nikkei newspaper reported the US and Iran were discussing a plan to open the strait about 30 days after reaching a deal to end hostilities. Iran would then clear mines from the strait during a 30-day window, after which ships from all countries could navigate freely and safely, Nikkei reported. Since the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28, only a few dozen vessels have been passing through the Strait of Hormuz compared with 125 to 140 daily previously.
Israel’s military warned residents of 10 villages, most of them in southern Lebanon, on Monday to evacuate their homes ahead of expected strikes against alleged Hezbollah targets
US conducts 'self-defense strikes' in southern Iran, say US media outlets | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News nhk.or.jp
US forces have struck missile sites and boats allegedly laying naval mines in southern Iran on Monday, according to United States Central Command. The move threatens to further destabilise a fragile ceasefire as Iranian negotiators arrived in Doha for high-stakes talks aimed at ending the war. Follow our liveblog for all the latest updates.
U.S. renews strikes on Iran, citing threats posed to American troops The Washington Post
Military officials said that the strikes targeted missile sites near a major Iranian port that threatened U.S. ships.
The strikes were done “to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces”, but the military was “using restraint during the ongoing ceasefire”
US says it carried out 'self-defense' strikes in southern Iran Anadolu Ajansı
US says it carried out strikes in southern Iran Middle East Eye
US strikes targets in southern Iran, says actions meant to protect troops The Jerusalem Post
US forces conducted 'self-defense strikes' in southern Iran, Fox News says Reuters
The US military's Central Command said it had carried out “self-defense” strikes in southern Iran. Meanwhile, Israeli PM Netanyahu said he ordered the military to increase strikes against Hezbollah. DW has more.