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US military says it carried out 'self-defense' strikes in Iran, including on missile launch sites

US military says it carried out 'self-defense' strikes in Iran, including on missile launch sites
President Donald Trump is projecting confidence. Iranian officials, however, are trying to slow down expectations. Now what's being discussed here will matter well beyond the region, particularly for oil markets and gas prices here at home. President Trump. on social media that negotiations with Iran are proceeding nicely, saying it's either going to be *** great deal or no deal at all, and the fighting will resume bigger than ever. Iran's Foreign Ministry says there has been progress in talks, but no one can say an agreement is on the verge of being signed. The two sides are reportedly working on *** framework that would end the war, gradually reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and require Iran to give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. But again, the details matter and they're still being sorted out. There are major questions including what nuclear limits Iran would accept and how quickly the strait would reopen. The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world's most important oil shipping lanes. The disruption has stranded ships carrying oil, natural gas, fertilizer, and other supplies, pushing prices higher. The next step is whether these talks can move from *** potential framework to *** signed agreement that will determine when the Strait of Hormuz reopens and how quickly oil markets can move down. And when people can see relief at the pump in Washington, Christopher Sales.
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Updated: 9:27 PM EDT May 25, 2026
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US military says it carried out 'self-defense' strikes in Iran, including on missile launch sites
AP logo
Updated: 9:27 PM EDT May 25, 2026
Editorial Standards
The U.S. military said Monday that it carried out "self-defense" strikes in southern Iran, including on missile launch sites and boats placing mines, even as President Donald Trump said on social media that negotiations were "proceeding nicely."The strikes were done "to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces," but the military was "using restraint during the ongoing ceasefire," Capt. Tim Hawkins, U.S. Central Command spokesman, said in a statement.Further details were not immediately available, including more specifics on the threats from Iran and what this means for negotiations. Earlier, Trump said any agreement to end the Iran war should include a requirement for several additional countries, including Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, to join the Abraham Accords, the U.S.-brokered agreements from Trump's first term aimed at normalizing relations with Israel.The proposal came as the emerging Iran deal faced criticism from fellow Republicans who favor a harder line on Iran, and it could add new diplomatic complications to the negotiations.Trump pointed to Saudi Arabia and Qatar as countries that should "immediately" sign on, alongside Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt and Jordan. Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates became the first countries to join in 2020.He wrote that "after all the work done by the United States to try and pull this very complex puzzle together, it should be mandatory that all of these Countries, at a minimum, simultaneously, sign onto the Abraham Accords."Trump has long hoped Saudi Arabia would join, but the kingdom has maintained that any normalization deal requires first establishing a clear path for Palestinian statehood. That's also key for Pakistan, which is among the countries that do not have diplomatic relations with Israel.Islamabad-based analyst Syed Mohammad Ali said Pakistan's position on Israel remains unchanged despite Trump's latest proposal.The president said he brought up the Abraham Accords plan with leaders during negotiations on Saturday. He said he would accept "one or two" countries declining to sign, but said most should be willing. Egypt and Jordan already formally recognize Israel and have long-standing peace treaties. Turkey first recognized Israel in 1949.Masood Khan, Pakistan's former ambassador to the United States, said it remains to be seen how workable the proposal might be for the countries on Trump's list."The invocation of the Abraham Accords at this stage gives an altogether new dimension to the diplomatic and mediatory processes because this issue was not on the agenda," he said, pointing to the domestic pressure Trump is facing to strike a favorable deal.Still, Khan said, "the diplomatic track is still working, and I believe Pakistan is very much at the center of it, supported by regional countries."It remains unclear when or how any deal with Iran might be completed. Trump suggested even Iran could eventually sign on to the accords, if an agreement is reached.The accords are a series of diplomatic, economic and security agreements created with U.S. influence during Trump's first term, originally between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, followed by Sudan, Morocco, and, more recently, Kazakhstan.They were framed as an effort to promote cooperation among countries in the Middle East and North Africa, and the administration saw them as partly paving a path toward full ties with Israel.___Ahmed reported from Islamabad.

The U.S. military said Monday that it carried out "self-defense" strikes in southern Iran, including on missile launch sites and boats placing mines, even as President Donald Trump said on social media that negotiations were "proceeding nicely."

The strikes were done "to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces," but the military was "using restraint during the ongoing ceasefire," Capt. Tim Hawkins, U.S. Central Command spokesman, said in a statement.

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Further details were not immediately available, including more specifics on the threats from Iran and what this means for negotiations. Earlier, Trump said any agreement to end the Iran war should include a requirement for several additional countries, including Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, to join the Abraham Accords, the U.S.-brokered agreements from Trump's first term aimed at normalizing relations with Israel.

The proposal came as the emerging Iran deal faced criticism from fellow Republicans who favor a harder line on Iran, and it could add new diplomatic complications to the negotiations.

Trump pointed to Saudi Arabia and Qatar as countries that should "immediately" sign on, alongside Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt and Jordan. Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates became the first countries to join in 2020.

He wrote that "after all the work done by the United States to try and pull this very complex puzzle together, it should be mandatory that all of these Countries, at a minimum, simultaneously, sign onto the Abraham Accords."

Trump has long hoped Saudi Arabia would join, but the kingdom has maintained that any normalization deal requires first establishing a clear path for Palestinian statehood. That's also key for Pakistan, which is among the countries that do not have diplomatic relations with Israel.

Islamabad-based analyst Syed Mohammad Ali said Pakistan's position on Israel remains unchanged despite Trump's latest proposal.

The president said he brought up the Abraham Accords plan with leaders during negotiations on Saturday. He said he would accept "one or two" countries declining to sign, but said most should be willing. Egypt and Jordan already formally recognize Israel and have long-standing peace treaties. Turkey first recognized Israel in 1949.

Masood Khan, Pakistan's former ambassador to the United States, said it remains to be seen how workable the proposal might be for the countries on Trump's list.

"The invocation of the Abraham Accords at this stage gives an altogether new dimension to the diplomatic and mediatory processes because this issue was not on the agenda," he said, pointing to the domestic pressure Trump is facing to strike a favorable deal.

Still, Khan said, "the diplomatic track is still working, and I believe Pakistan is very much at the center of it, supported by regional countries."

It remains unclear when or how any deal with Iran might be completed. Trump suggested even Iran could eventually sign on to the accords, if an agreement is reached.

The accords are a series of diplomatic, economic and security agreements created with U.S. influence during Trump's first term, originally between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, followed by Sudan, Morocco, and, more recently, Kazakhstan.

They were framed as an effort to promote cooperation among countries in the Middle East and North Africa, and the administration saw them as partly paving a path toward full ties with Israel.

___

Ahmed reported from Islamabad.

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