US military launches strikes on southern Iran amid talks in Qatar

play Live Sign upShow navigation menu.css-15ru6p1{font-size:inherit;font-weight:normal;}Navigation menuNewsShow more news sectionsAfricaAsiaUS & CanadaLatin AmericaEuropeAsia PacificMiddle EastExplainedOpinionSportVideoMoreShow more sectionsFeaturesEconomyHuman RightsClimate CrisisInvestigationsInteractivesIn PicturesScience & TechnologyPodcastsTravelplay Live Click here to searchsearchSign upNavigation menucaret-leftUS-Israel war on IranLive updatesIran-US peace talksWhy Iran won’t give up HormuzCould the war trigger a hunger crisis?How well do you know Iran?caret-rightDEVELOPING STORYDEVELOPING STORY, News|US-Israel war on IranUS military launches strikes on southern Iran amid talks in QatarUS Central Command announces ‘self-defence’ strikes as Tehran’s top negotiators gather in Qatar for peace talks. xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogleAdd Al Jazeera on GoogleinfoVessels sit anchored off the port city of Khasab on Oman's northern Musandam Peninsula on May 17, 2026 [AFP]By John PowerPublished On 26 May 202626 May 2026The United States has launched strikes on targets in southern Iran, the US military has said, as Tehran’s top negotiators gather in Qatar for talks aimed at reaching a peace deal with Washington. US Central Command (CENTCOM) said it carried out the “self-defence strikes” to protect US troops from threats posed by Iranian forces. “Targets included missile launch sites and Iranian boats attempting to emplace mines,” Navy Captain Tim Hawkins, a CENTCOM spokesperson, said in a statement to Al Jazeera late on Monday. “US Central Command continues to defend our forces while using restraint during the ongoing ceasefire.” CENTCOM did not provide further details on the strikes. The latest attacks come despite there being a ceasefire officially in place between the US and Iran since April 8. Reporting from Washington, DC, Al Jazeera’s Alan Fisher said the strikes are likely to derail ongoing negotiations to end the war. “There is very limited information coming from the US side; we don’t know the extent of the operation. It’s hard to say whether this skirmish is unusual,” he said. “But Trump is keen to move forward with negotiations and solidify a peace deal.” Earlier on Monday, a high-level Iranian delegation arrived in Doha to discuss roadblocks to a permanent peace deal. The arrival of the delegation, which includes Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, came as US President Donald Trump said that peace talks were “proceeding nicely” even as he insisted that he would not agree to anything less than a substantial deal. “It will only be a Great Deal for all or, no Deal at all — Back to the Battlefront and shooting, but bigger and stronger than ever before — And nobody wants that!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. Advertisement AboutAboutShow moreAbout UsCode of EthicsTerms and ConditionsEU/EEA Regulatory NoticePrivacy PolicyCookie PolicyCookie PreferencesAccessibility StatementSitemapWork for usConnectConnectShow moreContact UsUser Accounts HelpAdvertise with usStay ConnectedNewslettersChannel FinderTV SchedulePodcastsSubmit a TipPaid Partner ContentOur ChannelsOur ChannelsShow moreAl Jazeera ArabicAl Jazeera EnglishAl Jazeera Investigative UnitAl Jazeera MubasherAl Jazeera DocumentaryAl Jazeera BalkansAJ+Our NetworkOur NetworkShow moreAl Jazeera Centre for StudiesAl Jazeera Media InstituteLearn ArabicAl Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human RightsAl Jazeera ForumAl Jazeera Hotel PartnersFollow Al Jazeera English: