US launches fresh strikes on Iran on brink of peace deal

American forces launched a series of “defensive strikes” in Iran, at the same time the two countries were negotiating a peace deal on Monday.

A US Central Command (Centcom) spokesman said they had targeted missile launch sites and Iranian boats seeking to lay mines in the Strait of Hormuz, reports Telegraph.

Two Iranian boats were apparently caught laying mines in the Strait, senior US officials told Fox news.

US forces eliminated both vessels and also struck a surface-to-air missile site in Bandar Abbas that was allegedly targeting US warplanes.

“These were defensive strikes,” the US official said, adding that the strikes do not indicate the fragile ceasefire, negotiated last month, was over.

Captain Tim Hawkins, the Centcom spokesman, said in a statement that the strikes ‌were designed “to protect our troops from threats posed ‌by Iranian forces”.

“US Central ⁠Command continues to ⁠defend our forces while using restraint during the ongoing ‌ceasefire,” he said.

Earlier on Monday, Donald Trump had posted on Truth Social, suggesting that both Iran and the US were on the brink of a deal.

“Negotiations with the Islamic Republic of Iran are proceeding nicely!” he wrote.