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<\/a><\/p>\nAn Iranian flag flutters in the wind as ships remain anchored on May 16, 2026 in the Strait of Hormuz. (Majid Saeedi\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The move threatens to derail an already fragile ceasefire between the United States, Iran and Israel aimed at giving the U.S. and Iran space to hammer out a deal to end the hostilities. It also comes as U.S. President Donald Trump told several Muslim allies participating in consultations over a deal that they should normalize relations with Israel in exchange for the U.S. inking the agreement. <\/p>\n
U.S. Central Command Spokesperson Navy Capt. Tim Hawkin said in a statement issued Monday that strike targets \u201cincluded missile launch sites and Iranian boats attempting to emplace mines.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added that U.S. forces \u201cconducted self-defense strikes \u2026 to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces,\u201d and that CENTCOM \u201ccontinues to defend our forces while using restraint during the ongoing ceasefire.\u201d<\/p>\n
The attacks were conducted in the port city of Bandar Abbas around the strait of Hormuz, according to Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, as cited by CNN.<\/p>\n
The strikes came just 24 hours after President Donald Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that he had instructed his representatives to \u201cnot rush into a deal,\u201d stressing that \u201ctime is on our side.\u201d Trump emphasized in the message that Iran \u201ccannot develop or procure a Nuclear Weapon,\u201d a key aim of the American military effort but one the president had not referred to in comments over the weekend that a deal was close.<\/p>\n
Trump noted in another post Sunday that the deal was not yet \u201cfully negotiated,\u201d but that if he makes a deal with Iran it \u201cwill be a good and proper one,\u201d and that he does not \u201cmake bad deals.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trump\u2019s comments came as several GOP voices have expressed concerns about a deal he said Saturday was \u201clargely negotiated.\u201d Trump\u2019s posts Sunday came after Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) posted on X that the reported terms of the agreement would be a \u201cdisastrous mistake.\u201d <\/p>\n
Trump also stated on Truth Social Monday that Muslim countries should \u201cmandatorily\u201d sign on to the Abraham Accords as part of any agreement to end the war between Iran and Israel. <\/p>\n
He named Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt and Jordan, though he said it might be possible for a couple to be exempted. <\/p>\n
Following the U.S. strikes on Monday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters in India Tuesday that the Strait of \u200cHormuz has to be open, \u201cone way or the other,\u201d and that negotiations with Iran could \u201ctake a few days.\u201d <\/p>\n
Meanwhile, several media outlets reported that Iran announced Tuesday that it had executed Gholamreza Khani Shekerab for \u200balleged espionage \u2060and \u200bintelligence cooperation \u200bwith Israel.<\/p>\n