US military says it carried out ‘self-defense’ strikes in Iran, including on missile launch sites

WASHINGTON — The U.S. military claimed it conducted “self-defense” attacks in southern Iran, including on missile launch facilities and boats setting mines, even as President Donald Trump said Monday on social media that negotiations with Tehran were “proceeding nicely.”

The U.S. military said in a statement that the attacks were conducted “to defend our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces,” but the military was “exercising restraint during the ongoing ceasefire.”

More facts were not immediately available, including more specifics on the threats from Iran and what this means for discussions. Iran had sent its parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf to Qatar for talks regarding the possible deal with the U.S., but there was no public response from Iran. Qatar, which came under heavy pressure from Iran during the war, has billions of dollars in frozen Iranian accounts.

The news website Tabnak, believed to be loyal to Mohsen Rezaei, the former chief of the Revolutionary Guard, named four dead Guard men it said were killed in American strikes on boats. Iran's state media said there were also reports of blasts outside Bandar Abbas, a city on the Strait of Hormuz with a military port and a dual-use airport.

The strikes were the latest of a series of attacks to shatter the week-long ceasefire in the war. That leaves the Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of all crude oil and natural gas previously moved, still effectively in Iran’s chokehold, affecting global energy markets.

Trump mentions the recognition of Israel

Earlier, Trump said any deal to end the Iran war should be contingent on many additional nations, including Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, signing up for the Abraham Accords, the U.S.-brokered agreements from Trump’s first term to normalize relations with Israel.

The suggestion came while other Republicans were criticizing the nascent Iran deal and calling for a tougher approach to Iran, and it might add new diplomatic obstacles to the negotiations.

“Saudi Arabia and Qatar should be signing on immediately,” Trump said. Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates were the first to join in 2020, diplomatically recognizing Israel.

He said that “after all the work done by the United States to try and pull this very complex puzzle together, it should be mandatory that all of these Countries, at a minimum, simultaneously, sign onto the Abraham Accords.”

Trump has long hoped that Saudi Arabia would join. In particular, Saudi Arabia has for decades called on Israel to go back to its 1967 boundaries and to allow the emergence of a Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital. Israel’s actions in its war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip has also alienated Gulf Arab states and the wider Muslim world.

Pakistan still essential mediator Pakistan, which has no diplomatic relations with Israel, nonetheless still considers recognition of a Palestinian state to be important.

Pakistan’s position on Israel remains unaltered despite Trump’s recent proposal, said Islamabad-based analyst Syed Mohammad Ali.

The president said he brought up the Abraham Accords initiative with leaders during talks on Saturday. He added he would accept “one or two” countries not signing, but most should be willing. Egypt and Jordan already have formal recognition of Israel and long-standing peace accords. Turkey was one among the first countries to recognize Israel (1949).

How workable the approach could be for the countries on Trump’s list remains to be seen, said Masood Khan, Pakistan’s former ambassador to the United States.

“The mention of the Abraham Accords at this point adds an entirely new dimension to the diplomatic and mediatory processes, because this matter was not on the agenda,” he said, referring to the pressure Trump is under at home to make a good deal.

“But the diplomatic track is still working,” Khan said. “And I think Pakistan is very much at the center of it, supported by regional countries.”

It is still uncertain when or how a deal with Iran may be reached. Trump said that Iran may someday join the accords, if a deal is achieved.

The accords are a series of political, economic and security deals that were forged under U.S. influence during Trump's first term, which also saw Sudan, Morocco and most recently Kazakhstan join.Report from Islamabad by Ahmed. This article was contributed to by Associated Press writer Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.