As negotiators try to strike a deal to end the conflict between the U.S. and Iran, U.S. forces announced that they have stopped Iran’s efforts to attack U.S. troops in their tracks.
U.S. Central Command labeled the attacks “self-defense strikes,” according to Fox News.
“U.S. forces conducted self-defense strikes in southern Iran today to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces,” CENTCOM representative Capt. Tim Hawkins said.
“Targets included missile launch sites and Iranian boats attempting to emplace mines. U.S. Central Command continues to defend our forces while using restraint during the ongoing ceasefire,” Hawkins said.
A senior U.S. official told Fox News that two Iranian boats were spotted appearing to lay mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
Both Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps ships were sunk.
A missile site in Bandar Abbas that targeted American planes was also hit.
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“These were defensive strikes,” the official said, with other sources saying the attacks are not an indication that the ceasefire has ended.
The strikes do not indicate the ceasefire with Iran is over, two additional sources said.
Over the weekend, CENTCOM noted the success of the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports.
“U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces reached the milestone of redirecting 100 commercial vessels, May 23, while enforcing a maritime blockade against Iran,” CENTCOM posted on X.
“Over the past six weeks, more than 15,000 Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Airmen have redirected 100 vessels, disabled four, and allowed 26 humanitarian aid ships to pass,” CENTCOM wrote in the Saturday post.
The post noted that more than 200 aircraft and warships are involved “including the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group, Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group/31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, and multiple guided-missile destroyers.”
“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…” – President Donald J. Trump pic.twitter.com/Ss5ae2uY3T
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 25, 2026
As warfighters sparred, President Donald Trump offered hints of what a peace deal might contain.
“The Enriched Uranium (Nuclear Dust!) will either be immediately turned over to the United States to be brought home and destroyed,” Trump wrote Monday on Truth Social.
Trump said the preferred option is that “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.”
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