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U.S. Strikes Iranian Missile Sites Near Strait of Hormuz Amid Doha Talks

U.S. Strikes Iranian Missile Sites Near Strait of Hormuz Amid Doha Talks
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U.S. forces carried out “self-defense strikes” in southern Iran on Monday, May 25, targeting missile launch sites and Iranian boats near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said, in an operation that risked unsettling a fragile ceasefire and ongoing peace talks in Qatar nbcnews +1. Explosions were reported around the port city of Bandar Abbas, with Iranian media saying the situation was “under control” as local authorities investigated reuters.

CENTCOM said the strikes were ordered “to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces,” adding that U.S. forces were acting in self-defense while “using restraint during the ongoing ceasefire” that has largely held since April 8 nbcnews +2. The latest action came amid an already volatile standoff that followed wide-ranging U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February and subsequent Iranian missile and drone attacks across the Gulf politico.

Why the U.S. Hit Missile Sites and Mine-Laying Boats

According to CENTCOM, U.S. forces struck Iranian missile launch sites and vessels that were “attempting to emplace mines” near key shipping lanes off southern Iran, including near Bandar Abbas by the Strait of Hormuz nbcnews +1. A senior U.S. military official said Iranian surface-to-air missiles had threatened some of the nearly two dozen U.S. Navy warships, including two aircraft carriers, enforcing a naval blockade in the area washingtonpost.

Washington framed the operation as narrowly focused on neutralizing “inbound threats” to U.S. ships and bases, not as an abandonment of the ceasefire or broader push for regime change bbc +1. U.S. officials have argued that Iran used the lull since April to rebuild parts of its coastal missile network, heightening concern about potential ambushes against U.S. and allied vessels transiting one of the world’s most important oil chokepoints cnbc.

Casualty figures remained unclear. Iranian and regional outlets cited unconfirmed reports that several members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), possibly four, were killed in the strikes, but Tehran had not issued an official toll jpost. The U.S. reported no American casualties.

Strikes Land as Diplomats Meet in Doha

The timing of the operation drew immediate diplomatic scrutiny. The strikes coincided with the arrival in Doha of senior Iranian officials, including Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, for talks with Qatari mediators on a potential deal to end the months-long war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz nbcnews +1.

Iranian officials acknowledged progress in negotiations but pushed back on suggestions that a deal was imminent. “To say that we have reached a conclusion on a large portion of the issues under discussion would be correct. However, to say that this means an agreement is on the verge of being signed is not something anyone can claim,” foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said nbcnews. Analysts warned the strikes could harden positions in Tehran and complicate efforts to finalize a package that includes easing the U.S. naval blockade and addressing Iran’s demands for sanctions relief and recognition of its sovereignty claims over Hormuz nytimes +1.

Financial markets reflected the uncertainty: earlier optimism about a breakthrough in the talks had lifted equities, but reports of new U.S. strikes tempered that rally and drove safe-haven flows into assets like gold and Treasuries royanews.

The Bigger Picture

The southern Iran operation underscored how precarious the current truce remained, with both sides insisting they did not seek escalation while reserving the right to respond to perceived threats. With U.S. forces still maintaining a large naval presence in the Gulf and Iran retaining substantial missile and naval capabilities along its coastline, any further skirmish around Hormuz could quickly reverberate through global energy markets and derail diplomacy in Doha. Whether these “self-defense” strikes are remembered as a tactical course correction or the start of a broader unravelling of the ceasefire will depend on how Tehran chooses to respond—and how much risk both capitals are willing to accept to secure, or sink, a final deal.