President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israeli strikes targeting military, government and infrastructure sites.
Following the announcement of a two-week ceasefire,initial U.S.-Iran talksin Pakistan in April failed to reach a peace deal.
Trump later announced the open-ended extension of the ceasefire and the continuation of a U.S. blockade until negotiations are concluded "one way or the other."
U.S. forces on Monday launched what U.S. Central Command described as "self-defense strikes" in southern Iran."U.S. forces conducted self-defense strikes in southern Iran today to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces," CENTCOM spokesperson Capt. Tim Hawkins said in a statement. "Targets included missile launch sites and Iranian boats attempting to emplace mines. U.S. Central Command continues to defend our forces while using restraint during the ongoing ceasefire."
The strikes were conducted in the area of Bandar Abbas, which is where Iran's main naval base is located, according to Hawkins.
A U.S. official described the scope of the strikes as "very small."
-ABC News' Steven Beynon
President Donald Trump said Iran's enriched uranium can be turned and destroyed in the U.S., but that his preference is for it to be destroyed "in place" or at "another acceptable location," with IAEA oversight.“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, with the Atomic Energy Commission, or its equivalent, being witness to this process and event,” Trump said in a post on his social media platform.This presents a shift as Trump has long demanded that Iran hand over its enriched uranium to the U.S. as a sticking point of any potential deal.
In April, Trump said: "The U.S.A. will get all Nuclear 'Dust,' created by our great B2 Bombers - No money will exchange hands in any way, shape, or form."Last week, Trump said that getting the enriched uranium is important for the U.S. "psychologically."Trump has also repeatedly insisted that Iran has admitted to him that only the U.S. has the capability to uncover and obtain the so-called "nuclear dust."-ABC News' Emily Chang
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel will "intensify" strikes in Lebanon."We are not taking our foot off the gas. On the contrary, I have instructed them to press the pedal even harder," he said in a video message on Monday."What is required from us now is to intensify the blows, increase the force," he said. "We will strike them decisively."The message comes as the Israel Defense Forces said Monday it struck more than 70 "Hezbollah infrastructure sites" across Lebanon.
President Donald Trump honored the 13 service members killed during the war in Iran while delivering Memorial Day remarks at Arlington National Cemetery."In Operation Epic Fury, we lost 13 wonderful souls, wonderful special people," he said. "These incredible men and women gave their lives to ensure that the world's number one state sponsor of terror will never have a nuclear weapon. Oh, and they won't. They will never have a nuclear weapon."Sevenservice membersdied following the opening wave of Iranian retaliatory attacks across the Middle East, andsixAir Force airmen were killed when a U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq.
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President Donald Trump on Monday again insisted that his proposed Iran deal is the "exact opposite" of former President Barack Obama's nuclear deal with Iran, attacking Democrats and his GOP adversaries in a new social media post."The deal with Iran will either be a great and meaningful one, or there will be no deal. It will be the exact opposite of the JCPOA disaster negotiated by the failed Obama Administration, which was a direct and open path to a Nuclear Weapon for Iran. No, I don't do deals like that!" Trump wrote.The president said that his critics "know nothing" about the potential deal he is working on, adding that "things haven't even been negotiated yet." On Saturday, Trump claimed an "agreement had been largely negotiated."
Trump also criticized his Republican adversaries, including Sen. Bill Cassidy, Rep. Thomas Massie, and Sen. Thom Tillis. While pointing to Cassidy and Massie's recent primary losses, Trump added that Tillis is also "Soon out of office!"In a subsequent post, the president wished Americans a happy Memorial Day, "including the Dumocrats, who disrespect our Military and all of the tremendous success that it has had over the last year."-ABC News' Emily Chang
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told a Monday press conference that the U.S. and Iran have "reached a conclusion on a large part of the issues under discussion," though stressed that "no one" can say that the finalization of a deal is "imminent."Tehran is "witnessing frequent changes in positions" from the U.S. side, Baghaei said, as quoted by the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency."Within a few hours you will encounter different and in many cases contradictory views," Baghaei told reporters of the talks.Baghaei also addressed different facets of a possible deal, saying a ceasefire of the war on all fronts -- including Lebanon -- was part of the draft agreement. He also said details about the management of the Strait of Hormuz are still undecided."We have not entered into the details of this agreement. How the Strait of Hormuz will be managed is a matter that concerns the coastal states of the strait," Baghaei said.He added that no Iranian delegation visit to Pakistan, the mediating country, is planned at the moment."We are now focused on the negotiation process. How the understanding will be announced or signed later is an issue that there is time to decide on in the future," Baghaei said.-ABC News' Victoria Beaule
Secretary of State Marco Rubio tempered expectations for a possible deal to end the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran while gaggling with the press before departing for Agra, India, overnight amid his ongoing visit to the country.Rubio said an Iran deal is still a "work in progress" but signaled confidence that the disruption to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz can be addressed."We have what I think is a pretty solid thing on the table in terms of their ability to open up the straits, get the straits open, enter into a very real, significant, time-limited negotiation on the nuclear matters, and hopefully we can pull it off," Rubio said.
Rubio attributed the delay in negotiations to the "Iranian system."Regarding Lebanon -- where Israeli strikes and Hezbollah attacks continue despite a ceasefire agreed by Israeli and Lebanese leaders -- Rubio said the U.S. delegation is working on that deal separately from any agreement that is made with Iran."Lebanon, we're working on separately. With Lebanon, we are engaged now. We have a 45-day ceasefire. We've had weekly meetings now, and ongoing daily engagements between the government of Lebanon and Israel," Rubio said. "The problem is not Lebanon and Israel; the problem is Hezbollah.""As long as an armed Hezbollah exists, it's going to be hard to achieve peace in Lebanon," Rubio said.Asked if a ceasefire would include Israel stopping strikes within Lebanon, Rubio said Israel has the right to defend itself and to prevent strikes against Israel from within Lebanon. The issue is "being understood during the ceasefire, and now in Lebanon, and it'll be understood beyond that," Rubio said.-ABC News' Alex Ederson
The U.S. and Iran are making progress ironing out a two-step interim agreement in which the U.S. would get a broad "commitment" from Iran to negotiate a removal of their stockpile of enriched uranium, a senior administration official said on a call with reporters on Sunday morning.This limited agreement includes an immediate opening of the Strait of Hormuz and end to the U.S. naval blockade there, the official said, as questions of how to dispose of the stockpiled radioactive material remain.
“We're going to do a deal where ... they will open up the Strait in exchange for us lifting the blockade, and they will agree in principle to dispose of the highly enriched uranium,” the official said. “That is currently where the substantive conversation’s focused.”“Even if we get this language in a good place, it is going to take days for it to filter through their system and get an approval,” the official added.The official offered no specific details on timing, both regarding how long this peace negotiation process could last and how long the nuclear material removal process could take.Trumppostedon his social media platform Saturday that “an Agreement has been largely negotiated” between the U.S. and Iran, “subject to finalization” between the parties involved. Secretary of State Marco Rubiosaid Sundaythat the deal’s "ultimate goal is that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon."Iran has not yet signed on to or publicly commented on the proposal.-ABC News' Isabella Murray
As some Republican senators and former GOP officials warn that President Donald Trump's proposed deal with Iran would just be a repeat of the nuclear deal put in place during former President Barack Obama's administration, Trump is pushing back on that notion, saying his deal is the "exact opposite" of Obama's.Obama's deal "was a direct path to Iran developing a Nuclear Weapon," Trump posted on his social media platform on Sunday. "Not so with the transaction currently being negotiated with Iran by the Trump Administration -- THE EXACT OPPOSITE, in fact!"
Trump went on to say that relationship between U.S. and Iran is becoming a "much more professional and productive one" and that there is 'no rush' to make a peace deal with the regime."The negotiations are proceeding in an orderly and constructive manner, and I have informed my representatives not to rush into a deal in that time is on our side. The Blockade will remain in full force and effect until an agreement is reached, certified, and signed. Both sides must take their time and get it right. There can be no mistakes!" Trump wrote.Trumppostedon his social media platform Saturday that "an Agreement has been largely negotiated" between the U.S. and Iran, "subject to finalization" between the parties involved. Secretary of State Marco Rubiosaid Sundaythat the deal's "ultimate goal is that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon."Iran has not yet signed on to or publicly commented on the proposal.The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which imposed restrictions on Iran's civilian nuclear enrichment program in exchange for sanctions relief, was signed on July 14, 2015, during the Obama administration. It was agreed to by Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council -- China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States -- as well as Germany and the European Union.The JCPOA was designed to ensure that Iran's nuclear program would be exclusively peaceful and provided for the lifting of nuclear-related sanctions in order to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.Two years after the deal went into effect, President Donald Trumpwithdrew the U.S. from the nuclear accordduring his first term in office, saying at the time "it is clear to me that we cannot prevent an Iranian nuclear bomb under the decaying and rotten structure of the current agreement."-ABC News' Isabella Murray
Afterannouncing Saturdayon his social media platform that "An Agreement has been largely negotiated" between the U.S. and Iran, President Donald Trump Sunday morning posted an AI-generated image of a drone aircraft with a U.S. flag on it launching an attack on two Iranian-flagged ships, with the image caption "Adios."The image features smoke and flames billowing out of the Iranian ships, with bodies ejected from the vessels and falling into the ocean.
Trump said in his online post Saturday that the framework of the proposed deal is "subject to finalization" between the parties involved.Iran has not yet signed on or publicly commented on the proposal.Overnight, Secretary of State Marco Rubiosaid"significant progress" had been made in discussions with Iran. He added that that the administration has worked with Gulf regional partners over the last 48 hours on a possible framework aimed at keeping international waterways open and addressing concerns surrounding Iran's nuclear ambitions.-ABC News' Emily Chang
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