WASHINGTON, United States – US military forces launched strikes on Iranian missile sites and mining boats on Monday, threatening a fragile ceasefire and casting fresh doubt over negotiations to end the Middle East war.

The attacks occurred as senior Iranian negotiators arrived in Doha for the latest round of talks aimed at ending the months-long conflict, whilst the Israeli military intensified operations against Iran-backed Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.

US Central Command confirmed the strikes in a statement, with spokesman Tim Hawkins saying American forces conducted “self-defence strikes in southern Iran today to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces.”

The command provided limited details, stating only that targets included missile launch sites and boats attempting to “emplace mines” in the region.

Oil prices fluctuated following the strikes, which could threaten any agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, where an Iranian blockade has severely restricted global fuel supplies. West Texas Intermediate crude dropped more than 5% on Tuesday morning, whilst international benchmark Brent crude showed gains, though both remained below $100 per barrel.

Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB reported several loud explosions near Bandar Abbas at around midnight local time (20:30 GMT Monday). Local authorities said the situation in the southern port city was normal and were investigating the cause of the blasts.

Despite the military action, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that a deal remained achievable, though he struck a firm tone regarding the Hormuz strait.

“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.

He added that the strait was “going to be open one way or the other,” describing the current situation as “unlawful, illegal, unsustainable for the world, and unacceptable.”

The strikes threatened a ceasefire that began on 8 April as the United States and Iran struggle to reach an accord to end a war that has disrupted the global economy through severe energy flow restrictions.

Hopes for an agreement suffered another setback when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to “crush” Hezbollah in Lebanon. Iran has demanded that any peace accord encompass the fighting in Lebanon.

Netanyahu said on Monday he had ordered an “even greater acceleration” of the Israeli offensive in Lebanon following Hezbollah drone attacks on Israeli forces. He stated any final deal with Iran “must eliminate the nuclear threat entirely,” a position echoed by Washington.

Nuclear fuel demands

US President Donald Trump said in a social media post he expected Iran to hand over its enriched uranium to the United States for destruction, or have it destroyed in Iran with international witnesses present.

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 remained unclear whether this would form part of a potential accord with Iran. The commission Trump cited was abolished in 1974.

Earlier on 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 as part of a peace deal with Iran. The accords are a set of agreements brokered in 2020 with nations historically hostile to Israel.

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.

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Gulf states reluctant

Whilst the Abraham Accords were welcomed by some, they remain deeply unpopular in many parts of the Middle East, partly 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.

Anna Jacobs of the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington said Gulf nations were unlikely to accept Trump’s demands.

“The national security of the Gulf states has been threatened more than ever before because of President Trump’s reckless decisions, and he expects Arab states to thank him and to normalise relations with Israel, which they will not do at this stage,” she said.

Before the strikes on Iran, Rubio had suggested a deal could be reached by the end of Monday. Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said both sides had “reached a conclusion on a large portion of the issues” but that it did not mean an agreement was “imminent”.

Iranian officials have stressed that, despite the longstanding US demand for an end to its uranium enrichment, talks on its nuclear programme have been deferred until after an initial agreement.

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