US hits Iran with fresh strikes amid negotiations to end war
Marco Rubio insists a deal with Iran remains within reach after the US military claimed its attacks were in ‘self-defence’
Iran’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Tuesday that the United States had violated the ceasefire with strikes in Iran’s southern Hormozgan province.
US forces attacked missile sites in southern Iran and boats trying to lay mines on Monday, US Central Command said, imperilling a fragile ceasefire and casting new doubt on a deal to end the Middle East war.
“The United States committed a gross violation of the ceasefire in the Hormozgan region in the past 48 hours … Iran holds the US regime responsible for all the consequences resulting from these aggressive and unjustified actions,” the statement said.
The strikes came as top Iranian negotiators arrived in Doha for the latest round of talks to end the months-long conflict, and as the Israeli military stepped up hostilities with Iran-backed Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
Oil prices fluctuated in the wake of the US strikes, which may threaten any agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, where an Iranian blockade has throttled global fuel supplies.
“US forces conducted self-defence strikes in southern Iran today to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces,” Tim Hawkins, a Central Command spokesman, said in a statement.