US carries out ‘self-defence’ strikes in southern Iran
The US military said on Monday that it carried out “self-defence” strikes in southern Iran, including on missile launch sites and boats placing mines.
US Central Command spokesman Captain Tim Hawkins said the strikes were done “to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces,” but that it was “using restraint during the ongoing ceasefire”.
President Donald Trump said on Monday that 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 US-brokered agreements from his first term aimed at normalising relations with Israel.
Mr Trump said in a social media post that negotiations are “proceeding nicely”, but tied any eventual agreement to expanded participation in the 2020 accords.
The proposal came as the emerging Iran deal faced criticism from fellow Republicans who favour a harder line on Iran.
Mr 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”.
The president has long hoped Saudi Arabia would join, but the kingdom has maintained that any normalisation deal requires first establishing a clear path for Palestinian statehood.
That is also key for Pakistan, which is among the countries that do not have diplomatic relations with Israel.
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 recognise Israel and have long-standing peace treaties. Turkey first recognised Israel in 1949.
The accords are a series of diplomatic, economic and security agreements created with US influence during Mr 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.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
