US carries out ‘self-defense strikes’ in Iran as Trump seeks peace deal

An Iranian flag flutters in the wind as ships remain anchored May 16, 2026 in the Strait of Hormuz, near Larak Island, Iran.

Majid Saeedi | Getty Images News | Getty Images

US forces carried out “self-defense” strikes in southern Iran early Tuesday, with US Central Command saying the military action was aimed at “protecting our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces.”

CENTCOM spokesman Tim Hawkins said the targets included missile launch sites and Iranian boats attempting to place mines.

“US Central Command continues to defend our forces while exercising restraint during the ongoing ceasefire,” Hawkins added.

The move comes as US President Donald Trump told the United States on Monday that negotiations with Iran were “going well.” However, he warned that “it would only be a good deal for all, if no deal at all”, threatening to bring things back “to the battle front and firing, but bigger and stronger than ever”.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, visiting India, said the Strait of Hormuz must be opened, “one way or another”, referring to US action against Iran, Reuters reported. He added that the agreement with Iran could take a few days. Fox News, citing senior U.S. officials, said Monday that the Iran deal was “95 percent there.”

This is not the first military action since a ceasefire was concluded between Washington and Tehran on April 8. Later that month, U.S. marines seized the Touska, an Iranian cargo ship, and in May the two sides exchanged gunfire in the Strait of Hormuz, with each claiming the other launched the attack.

In another Truth Social article, the US president said that Iran’s stockpiles of enriched uranium would be “immediately handed over to the United States for repatriation and destruction”, destroyed in Iran or “in another acceptable location”.

Trump also urged Arab countries to sign the Abraham Accords, which would normalize relations with Israel. However, Pakistan categorically rejected the proposal, with a source telling Reuters that the two issues were “not linked and cannot be”.

Oil prices were mixed on Tuesday morning, with US West Texas Intermediate futures down about 5% at $91.87 a barrel, but international benchmark Brent was up 2.14% at $98.2.

Chen Lanhee, a partner at consulting firm Brunswick, told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Asia” that a majority of the American public wants the war to be over.

“It doesn’t matter what Iran does or doesn’t have, it doesn’t matter what the deal is. They just want the war to stop to lower oil or gas prices,” Chen said.

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