As the United States seeks a peace agreement with Iran to reopen the global oil trade and set conditions on the theocratic state’s nuclear ambitions, continued strikes are straining the fragile “ceasefire” serving as the basis for negotiations.
On Thursday, U.S. Central Command announced “Iran launched a ballistic missile toward Kuwait that was successfully intercepted by Kuwaiti forces” the day before.
Central Command referred to the Iranian strike as an “egregious ceasefire violation,” adding that it “occurred hours after Iranian forces launched five one-way attack drones that posed a clear threat in and near the Strait of Hormuz.“
The statement added that the United States and its partners “remain vigilant and measured as we continue to defend our forces and interests from unjustified Iranian aggression.”
The continued violence comes as members of the administration have expressed measured optimism about the potential for a deal after months of conflict.
“There’s a strong alignment and agreement on what a preliminary draft [of an agreement] looks like,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters Tuesday of President Donald Trump’s peace discussions with regional leaders.
He continued, “Like anything with something like this, it’s going to take a couple days to settle on … even the disagreements over a word, a sentence. … It’s either going to be a good deal or there isn’t going to be one.”
Officials from the United States and Iran are currently in negotiations that Trump said Monday are “proceeding nicely.”
Throughout the week there has been great uncertainty surrounding progress, with occasional outbreaks of violence.
On Monday U.S. Central Command acknowledged the military had carried out “self-defense strikes … to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces.”
“Targets included missile launch sites and Iranian boats attempting to emplace mines,” Central Command spokesman Capt. Tim Hawkins said in a statement. “U.S. Central Command continues to defend our forces while using restraint during the ongoing ceasefire.”
