The attacks came even as senior Iranian officials were in Doha holding indirect negotiations aimed at ending the months-long conflict involving Iran, the US, and Israel.
BY PC Bureau
May 26, 2026: Fresh US airstrikes on southern Iran have cast a shadow over fragile diplomatic efforts in Doha, where Iranian negotiators are currently engaged in talks aimed at ending the months-long conflict involving Tehran, Washington, and Israel.
The latest strikes, confirmed by the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), targeted missile infrastructure and boats allegedly attempting to lay naval mines near the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic global energy corridor. Washington described the operation as a defensive measure intended to protect American forces in the region.
CENTCOM said the attacks focused on missile launch positions and maritime assets considered an immediate threat. US military spokesperson Tim Hawkins stated that American forces were continuing to “exercise restraint” despite what he described as hostile Iranian activity during the ongoing ceasefire period.
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The strikes took place in Bandar Abbas, home to a key Iranian base
Missile launch sites were also blasted to smithereens.
Fox is reporting this is NOT an end of the ceasefire, as… pic.twitter.com/xwSMZYYvFK
— Bruce Forman (@Brucenewsreview) May 26, 2026
According to reports, the operation took place near Bandar Abbas, the southern Iranian port city that hosts one of Iran’s most significant naval bases overlooking the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian media reported explosions in the area, while the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed air defence systems had been activated around Bandar Abbas airport in response to “hostile targets.”
Witnesses quoted by Iranian news outlets also reported sounds of explosions near Sirik and Jask along the Persian Gulf coast. Iranian authorities earlier claimed their forces had intercepted and destroyed a hostile drone operating in the Gulf region.
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Tehran has yet to formally respond to the latest strikes, but senior Iranian officials signalled that the attacks would not alter the country’s posture. Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, the newly appointed head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, declared that there would be “no retreat” in Iran’s confrontation with the United States and Israel.
“The military front, diplomacy, and public resistance together forced the enemy back,” he said, according to Iranian media reports.
The escalation comes at a sensitive diplomatic moment. A high-level Iranian delegation led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, and Central Bank Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati is currently in Doha for indirect negotiations involving Qatari mediators and US officials.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baqai acknowledged that some progress had been made in the discussions, though he cautioned that a final agreement remained distant.
🇺🇸U.S. forces on Monday launched “self-defense strikes” in southern Iran 🇮🇷.
Right Now, Iranian 🇮🇷 Delegation in Doha for peace Deal but war start again.#IRGC #Iran #Iranwar #Hormuz #US #USA #IRGC #IranRevolution2026 #BREAKING #News #Doha #USIranWar #IranUSWar #Geopolitics pic.twitter.com/tQ7V0COtPN
— Globe Wire 24 🌍 (@Globewire24) May 26, 2026
Reports suggest the negotiations are centred on Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile, maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz, and the possible release of frozen Iranian financial assets under a future settlement framework.
Hours after the strikes, US President Donald Trump escalated pressure on Tehran by publicly demanding that Iran surrender its enriched uranium reserves for destruction under international supervision.
In a social media statement, Trump said the material should either be transferred to the United States for disposal or destroyed inside Iran in the presence of international observers.
Trump also revived calls for broader Middle East normalization under the Abraham Accords, arguing that several regional countries should formally join the framework as part of any wider peace arrangement involving Iran.
However, the accords remain deeply controversial across much of the Arab world, particularly because they sidestep the Palestinian statehood issue. Countries such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar have repeatedly maintained that ties with Israel cannot be normalized without the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
