US forces have carried out what Washington is calling “self-defence strikes” in southern Iran, even as top Iranian negotiators sit down in Doha in a bid to end the war between the two countries. US Central Command spokesman Captain Tim Hawkins confirmed the strikes on Monday, saying they targeted missile launch sites and Iranian boats attempting to lay mines near Bandar Abbas – home to Iran’s main naval base. “US Central Command continues to defend our forces while using restraint during the ongoing ceasefire,” Hawkins said.
The strikes land at a diplomatically sensitive moment. Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi are in Doha for talks with Qatar’s prime minister over terms of a potential peace deal. Iran is reportedly demanding the release of 12 billion dollars in frozen assets held in Qatar as a precondition for advancing negotiations. Tensions had already been building over the weekend, after Iran claimed it shot down an Israeli ‘Orbiter’ reconnaissance drone over Hormozgan province on Sunday – a claim Israel neither confirmed nor denied.
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Majed Al Ansari swiftly rejected reports that Doha had offered that sum to Iran to secure an agreement, calling the claims utterly baseless and an attempt to undermine ongoing diplomatic efforts. Adding to the tension, Iran’s foreign ministry on Tuesday renewed condemnation over a February missile strike on a sports hall in Lamerd, Fars province, that killed at least 21 people – including children attending volleyball practice – and wounded around 100 others.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, meanwhile, tempered expectations, saying a deal with Iran could take a few days – a signal that any breakthrough remains fragile.
