Day 89 | Iran accuses US of breaking truce after new strikes
Iran accused the United States of breaching their ceasefire Tuesday and warned it was ready to retaliate after overnight US strikes targeting Iranian missile sites and mine-laying boats threatened a deal to end the war.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced Monday the new wave of bombings, and China urged both sides to respect the truce and to resolve their dispute peacefully.
Iranian state media reported overnight blasts in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas, near the Strait of Hormuz, and the country's Revolutionary Guards said its forces had downed a US drone entering its airspace and had fired at an F-35 fighter jet.
"The US terrorist army, continuing its illegal and unjustified actions since the ceasefire ... has, in the past 48 hours, committed a gross violation of the ceasefire in the Hormozgan region," the Iranian foreign ministry said.
It added that Tehran "will not leave any evil unanswered and will not hesitate to defend the Iranian nation," without elaborating.
In a statement marking the start of the Eid al-Adha holiday, Tehran's supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei declared that Washington was losing its influence in the Middle East and warned countries in the region to stop hosting bases from which the US could launch attacks.
The United States, he said in a written statement, "in addition to no longer having any safe haven in the region for aggression and the establishment of military bases, is moving further and further away from its former position with each passing day".
Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for US Central Command, said: "US forces conducted self-defence strikes in southern Iran today to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces."
Despite the strikes, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that a deal remained within reach.
But he remained firm on the Strait of Hormuz, the key oil and gas shipping route which Iran is seeking to control.
“There were some talks going on in Qatar today, so we'll see if we can make progress. I think it's a lot of talking back and forth going on about specific language in the initial document, so it'll take a few days," Rubio told reporters, during a visit to India.
He said the strait was "going to be open one way or the other," adding: "What's happening there is unlawful, it's illegal, it's unsustainable for the world, it's unacceptable."
VIDEO - Four ‘Israeli’ soldiers struck by one Hezbollah drone
Footage released by Hezbollah showing ‘Israeli’ soldiers scrambling for cover near a military vehicle while being chased by a drone in the area of Bint Jbeil in Southern Lebanon.
Lebanon says ‘Israeli’ strikes kill 31 on Tuesday
Lebanon said ‘Israeli’ strikes on the country's south killed 31 people on Tuesday, as ‘Israel’ said it was intensifying attacks despite a truce in its war with Hezbollah.
In a statement, the health ministry said 31 people, including at least four children and three women, were killed in attacks and 40 wounded.
Fourteen were killed in Burj al-Shamali near Tyre.
Trump postpones Camp David cabinet meeting
US President Donald Trump postponed a rare cabinet meeting at the Camp David presidential retreat due to “possible bad weather conditions” forecasted for Wednesday.
“Based on the possible bad weather conditions tomorrow, we will be having our Cabinet Meeting in the White House, and will be postponing the Cabinet trip to Camp David,” Trump said on Truth Social.
The meeting comes as the US-Iran talks near a critical point.
The choice of the secluded retreat in the Maryland mountains -- which Trump hardly ever visits, in a break with previous presidents -- reflects the sensitive nature of discussions.
The New York Post reported that Iran was set to dominate the meeting, which was expected to be attended by all cabinet members.
The economy was also on the agenda, it said.
Trump said Saturday that a deal with Tehran to end the Middle East war was close but negotiations are still tense, with the US leader warning that strikes on Iran could resume.
Camp David has been the scene of major US-led diplomatic developments in the past, including the 1978 accords between ‘Israel’ and Egypt under President Jimmy Carter and a failed 2000 ‘Israeli’-Palestinian summit under Bill Clinton.
Trump has however been an infrequent visitor.
It will be only the second time that Trump has gone to Camp David in his second term. The first was just days before the United States launched strikes on Iran's nuclear program in June 2025.
During his first term Trump said he had canceled a planned summit with Taliban leaders at the retreat following an attack on US forces.
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Read more: Day 88 | US hits Iran with new strikes, despite ceasefire
