The U.S. carried out defensive strikes in southern Iran, targeting boats attempting to lay mines and missile launch sites. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said negotiations for a deal with Iran could take a few days, reducing expectations of an immediate end to the conflict. He emphasized that the Strait of Hormuz must remain open. Despite a ceasefire in place since early April, U.S. Central Command said the strikes were intended to protect U.S. troops from threats posed by Iranian forces. Iran reported downing a hostile stealth drone using a new air defense system. Iranian and U.S. officials played down hopes for an imminent breakthrough, while talks involving nuclear issues and release of frozen Iranian funds continued alongside regional diplomacy.
"U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday negotiating a deal with Iran could "take a few days," quashing hopes for an imminent end to the conflict a day after U.S. forces conducted what Washington called defensive strikes in southern Iran. Describing the strikes against targets including boats attempting to lay mines and missile launch sites, Rubio said the Strait of Hormuz has to be open "one way or the other." "The straits have to be open, they're going to be open one way or the other, so they need to be open," Rubio told reporters on his plane in India's Jaipur."
"Despite a ceasefire in place since early April, U.S. Central Command said in a statement on Monday it had carried out fresh strikes designed "to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces." Iran said on Monday it had downed a "hostile" stealth drone using a new air defence system, Iranian news agencies reported, without saying where it had come from. The U.S. attacks came as Iran's top negotiator and its foreign minister were in Doha for talks with Qatar's prime minister on a potential deal with the U.S. to end the three-month-old war, an official briefed on the visit said."
"Rubio told reporters in New Delhi earlier that the U.S. would give diplomacy every chance to succeed before considering whether to deal with Iran in "another way". He said there was a "pretty solid thing on the table," referring to talks over reopening the strait and a "very real, si""
#iran-us-negotiations #strait-of-hormuz #us-strikes #ceasefire-and-conflict #nuclear-and-frozen-funds
Read at Irish Independent
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