Washington Sees Agreement Possible Despite Attacks on Southern Iran

SadaNews - The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) stated that it carried out strikes in southern Iran on Monday, but U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio dismissed any impact of these strikes on negotiations. Meanwhile, Iranian media confirmed that U.S. fighter jets attacked Iranian boats south of Lark Island in the Strait of Hormuz, following the sound of explosions that evening.

The CENTCOM spokesperson said that U.S. forces carried out strikes which he described as "self-defense" in southern Iran on Monday.

He added that CENTCOM carried out the strikes to protect U.S. forces from threats posed by Iranian forces, noting that the strikes targeted missile platforms and Iranian boats that were attempting to lay mines.

He emphasized that CENTCOM continues to defend U.S. forces while practicing restraint during the ceasefire.

In detail, "Fox News" reported - citing a senior U.S. official - that U.S. forces bombed a surface-to-air SAM missile site in Bandar Abbas after it targeted U.S. fighter jets.

For its part, "CNN" quoted a U.S. official confirming that the recent strikes against Iran were "reactive and defensive and not part of a planned attack," as he described.

The semi-official Fars News Agency confirmed - citing Iranian television - that "Zionist U.S. fighter jets attacked Iranian boats south of Lark Island in the Strait of Hormuz" early Monday.

It added that the attack resulted in the deaths of four individuals, noting that the total number of casualties has not yet been clarified.

Lark Island is considered a sensitive location because it is situated at the heart of the Strait of Hormuz, alongside the route designated by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard for the passage of permitted ships.

"Fox News" reported that informed sources confirmed that the American strikes in Iran were defensive, and do not indicate an end to the ceasefire agreement.

On the political side, U.S. Secretary of State commented on the strikes, in statements reported by AFP and Reuters, that "The straits must remain open and will remain so somehow," as he described.

Rubio confirmed that reaching an agreement with Iran remains possible within days despite the recent U.S. strikes.

He also stated that negotiating the drafting of the agreement with Iran may take a few days, adding that there is much back-and-forth regarding specific formulations in the initial document.

He added that the United States is trying to put an end to the war through the negotiation path.

Tasnim News Agency reported - on Monday evening - that three explosions were heard in Bandar Abbas, while the semi-official Fars agency mentioned that similar sounds were heard near Sirik and Jask, close to the strategic waterway.

Iranian television emphasized that the situation in Bandar Abbas is calm and normal, following the sounds of explosions.

The official Iranian news agency (IRNA) reported that the public relations department of the Imam Zain al-Abidin Brigade - part of the Revolutionary Guard - in Hormozgan Province announced yesterday the execution of operations to dismantle and destroy unexploded ordnance around the city of Bandar Abbas, from Sunday to Tuesday.

The agency clarified that local residents believed that the sounds of explosions heard that night were due to those operations.

Fars had previously confirmed on Monday that Tehran shot down a drone in the Gulf region using a new air defense system, without specifying the entity to which the drone belonged.

This comes after U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Saturday the completion of negotiations on most terms of an agreement with Iran, and the approaching disclosure of its details.