US forces struck missile sites and Iranian vessels in southern Iran on Monday in what the military described as self-defence action, with the Strait of Hormuz at the centre of the confrontation once again.

"US forces conducted self-defence strikes in southern Iran today to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces," CENTCOM spokesperson Captain Tim Hawkins said in a statement to Fox News. He said the targets included missile launch sites and Iranian boats allegedly attempting to lay mines in the strategic waterway. "US Central Command continues to defend our forces while using restraint during the ongoing ceasefire," he added.

What happened and what was destroyed

A senior US official said two Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps boats were detected in the act of laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, triggering the military response. American forces also struck a surface-to-air missile site in Bandar Abbas after it reportedly targeted US warplanes. Both Iranian vessels and the missile site were destroyed in what the official described as "defensive strikes."

The strikes sent shockwaves through the region. Explosions were reported across multiple locations near the Strait on Monday, Iranian media reported blasts in Bandar Abbas, with additional explosions heard near Sirik and Jask along the southern coast. The senior US official later said the strikes were "over for now."

Two additional sources told Fox News that the operation did not represent the end of the ceasefire with Iran, emphasising that the strikes were limited in scope and intent.

Trump's uranium ultimatum

The military action came alongside a fresh demand from President Trump on the question that remains the central obstacle to any lasting deal: Iran's enriched uranium stockpile.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump described the material as "nuclear dust" and laid out two options for its disposal. "The Enriched Uranium (Nuclear Dust!) will either be immediately turned over to the United States to be brought home and destroyed or, preferably, in conjunction and coordination with the Islamic Republic of Iran, destroyed in place or, at another acceptable location," he wrote.

Trump also reiterated his push for an expanded Abraham Accords framework that could eventually include Tehran itself as part of a broader regional peace architecture, an ambitious and, for now, distant prospect given the current state of US-Iran relations.

Published on: May 26, 2026 7:18 AM IST