US attacks missile sites in Iran as deal to end war could 'take days'

THE US HAS attacked missile sites in southern Iran and boats trying to lay mines on Monday, US Central Command said.

The strikes, which come as top Iranian negotiators arrived in Doha for the latest round of peace talks, put the fragile ceasefire which began on 8 April at risk and cast new doubt on a deal to end the war.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military has stepped up hostilities with Iran-backed Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, further impacting hopes of an accord. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to “crush” Hezbollah in Lebanon, but Iran has demanded that any peace accord apply to the fighting in Lebanon as well.

In a statement, a Central Command spokesperson said the strikes were a self-defence move to protect our “troops from threats posed by Iranian forces”. It gave no details of the attacks and said only that the targets included missile launch sites and boats trying to “emplace mines.”

Oil prices fluctuated in the wake of the US strikes but remained below $100 (€86), with West Texas Intermediate dropping more than 5% while international benchmark Brent Crude was up.

Despite the strikes, secretary of state Marco Rubio said Tuesday a deal remained within reach, and said the Strait of Hormuz was “going to be open one way or the other”.

“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, without commenting about the impact of the strikes.

Speaking on the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, he said: “What’s happening there is unlawful, it’s illegal, it’s unsustainable for the world, it’s unacceptable.”

Iran’s state-run broadcaster IRIB reported several loud explosions were heard near Bandar Abbas at around midnight local time (9.30pm Irish time).

It added the situation in the southern port city was normal and local authorities were investigating the cause of the blasts. 

Advertisement

Nuclear fuel disposal

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 nuclear fuel “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.

Earlier Monday, Trump said it should be mandatory for Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Pakistan, Egypt, Turkey, Bahrain and Jordan to join the Abraham Accords, a set of agreements brokered in 2020 with nations historically hostile to Israel, as part of a peace deal with Iran.

Trump said he had spoken to the leaders of those countries on Saturday about efforts to end the war. Bahrain and the UAE have already signed the accords, along with Morocco and Sudan.

While the Abraham Accords were welcomed by some, they remain deeply unpopular in many parts of the Middle East – in part because they fail to address the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Gulf states such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar have said normalisation with Israel depends on the creation of a Palestinian state.

With reporting from AFP.

Need more clarity and context on what is happening in the Middle East? Check out our FactCheck Knowledge Bank for essential reads and guides to finding good information online.

Visit Knowledge Bank

Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.
Learn More Support The Journal