US Launches 'Self-Defense' Strikes in Iran Amid Peace Talks

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The United States (US) military launched what it described as “self-defense” strikes in southern Iran on Monday, targeting missile launch sites and boats allegedly attempting to place naval mines, even as diplomatic negotiations between Washington and Tehran continued over a possible agreement to end the conflict.

As reported by AP News, US Central Command stated that the attacks were conducted to protect American troops from threats posed by Iranian forces during an ongoing ceasefire period.

“US forces conducted self-defense strikes in southern Iran today to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces,” Central Command spokesman Tim Hawkins said in a statement.

The US military said the targets included missile launch facilities and boats attempting to place mines in Gulf waters, although further operational details were not disclosed.

The strikes came as senior Iranian negotiators arrived in Doha, Qatar, for talks aimed at securing a broader agreement to end the war that has disrupted regional stability and shaken global energy markets.

Despite the renewed military escalation, President Donald Trump insisted negotiations with Iran were still progressing positively.

Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that discussions were “proceeding nicely,” while emphasizing that the United States would maintain pressure on Tehran until a final agreement is reached.

At the same time, Trump said any future deal with Iran should also include broader regional diplomatic commitments through the expansion of the Abraham Accords, the US-brokered agreements normalizing relations between Israel and several Muslim-majority countries.

Trump said he had spoken over the weekend with leaders from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates regarding both the Iran negotiations and the normalization agreements with Israel.

“I am mandatorily requesting that all countries immediately sign the Abraham Accords,” Trump wrote.

Trump also suggested Iran itself could eventually become part of the accords if a peace agreement is successfully reached.

The Abraham Accords were first signed in 2020 during Trump’s first term in office, leading to normalization agreements between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan.

However, Trump’s latest proposal immediately faced diplomatic resistance.

Pakistan rejected the idea of linking negotiations with Iran to the normalization agreements with Israel.

AP News noted that a Pakistani source familiar with the matter said the two issues “are not interlinked and cannot be made so,” adding that Islamabad remained under “no compulsion” to comply with such demands.

Saudi Arabia and Qatar have also consistently maintained that normalization with Israel would require a clear roadmap toward Palestinian statehood.

The issue remains politically sensitive across much of the Middle East, especially amid Israel’s ongoing military operations in Gaza.

Analysts warned that Trump’s effort to combine Iran diplomacy with the Abraham Accords could complicate already fragile negotiations.

Anna Jacobs, an analyst at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, said Gulf countries were unlikely to accept normalization demands under current regional conditions.

“These expectations and assumptions from this US administration show how little they understand the Middle East,” Jacobs said.

Meanwhile, tensions continued to rise elsewhere in the region.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Monday that he had ordered intensified military operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon, accusing the Iran-backed group of continuing drone attacks against Israeli forces.

Netanyahu said he and Trump agreed that any final agreement with Iran must “eliminate the nuclear threat entirely.”

Iran, however, has insisted that any broader peace arrangement should also address regional conflicts involving Hezbollah and Lebanon.

The latest US military strikes also triggered renewed concern in global energy markets.

According to CNA, Brent crude futures rose nearly 2 percent in early Asian trading on Tuesday as investors reacted cautiously to the renewed instability in the Gulf region.

The Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical oil shipping routes, remains under heightened military tension after Iran tightened controls on regional shipping during the conflict.

Trump also reiterated that Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile must eventually be destroyed or transferred under international supervision.

“The Enriched Uranium will either be immediately turned over to the United States to be brought home and destroyed or destroyed in place with international witnesses,” Trump wrote.

Iranian officials, however, signaled that major disagreements remain unresolved.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei acknowledged that negotiators had made progress on several issues but denied that a final agreement was close.

“It is correct to say that we have reached conclusions on a large portion of the issues under discussion,” Baqaei said. “But no one can claim that an agreement is imminent.”

The combination of ongoing military operations, diplomatic disagreements, and regional political demands underscored the growing complexity surrounding efforts to secure a lasting agreement between Washington and Tehran.

Read: Iran War: Trump Says US Won't 'Rush Into' Deal with Tehran

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