US Military Conducts Self-Defense Strikes in Southern Iran, Targeting Minelaying Boats and Missile Sites

The US military conducted "self-defense strikes" in southern Iran on the 25th, a military spokesperson told Fox News. According to Reuters, the US military targeted vessels attempting to lay mines and missile launch sites, describing the action as defensive. US Central Command stated in a release that the strikes were intended to "protect our forces from threats posed by Iranian forces." Captain Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for Central Command, stated, "US Central Command continues to defend our forces while maintaining restraint during the ongoing ceasefire." A senior US official noted that two Iranian vessels were spotted laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, and after a missile site locked onto a US military aircraft, US forces launched a counterattack. The US military destroyed the two Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) vessels and struck a surface-to-air missile site in Bandar Abbas.