The US military has launched strikes in southern Iran amid talks in Qatar | The US-Israel War on Iran News

A GROWING STORYTHE STORY IS DEVELOPING,

The US Central Command has declared a “defensive situation” as Tehran’s top negotiators gather in Qatar for peace talks.

The United States has launched protests in southern Iran, the US military has said, as Tehran officials gather in Qatar to discuss efforts to reach a peace deal with Washington.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said it had taken “defensive measures” to protect US forces from threats by Iranian forces.

“Targets include weapons facilities and Iranian boats attempting to lay mines,” Navy spokesman Tim Hawkins, a CENTCOM spokesman, said in a statement to Al Jazeera late Monday.

“US Central Command continues to protect our troops as we exercise restraint during the ceasefire.”

CENTCOM has not released details about the strike.

The latest attacks come despite a truce between the US and Iran since April 8.

Reporting from Washington, DC, Al Jazeera’s Alan Fisher said the protests could derail ongoing talks to end the war.

“There is a lot that comes from the US side, we don’t know the extent of the operation. It is difficult to say whether this war is unusual,” he said.

“But Mr. Trump wants to move forward with negotiations and establish a peace agreement.”

Earlier on Monday, a senior Iranian delegation arrived in Doha to discuss roadblocks to a permanent peace deal.

The arrival of the delegation, which includes Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, came as US President Donald Trump said peace talks were “going well” although he insisted he would not accept anything less.

“It’s going to be great for all or, nothing to do – Back to the Battlegrounds and shooting, but bigger and stronger than before – And nobody wants this!” Trump wrote on Social Truth.

More to follow…