NEW DELHI — The fragile, seven-week-old ceasefire between Washington and Tehran faced its most severe test yet after the United States military launched targeted airstrikes near Iran’s southern port city of Bandar Abbas, closely trailing a sharp nuclear ultimatum from U.S. President Donald Trump.

The escalation occurred on Monday night as back-channel peace negotiations were actively resuming in Doha, Qatar, aiming to end the wider Middle East conflict that erupted in late February.

CENTCOM Confirms “Self-Defense” Strikes Near Bandar Abbas

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed it executed targeted military actions on the Iranian coast, specifically focusing on the strategically sensitive waters near the Strait of Hormuz—a bottleneck through which one-fifth of global oil flows.

According to CENTCOM spokesperson Capt. Tim Hawkins, the operations were highly localized and conducted to eliminate immediate threats to American assets.

“US forces conducted self-defense strikes in southern Iran today to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces. Targets included missile launch sites and Iranian boats attempting to emplace mines,” Hawkins stated, adding that the military continues to “use restraint during the ongoing ceasefire.”

Local reports from Bandar Abbas noted loud explosions around midnight local time. While Iranian state-linked outlets initially reported potential damage near the local dual-use airport, the state news agency Mehr later broadcasted that the situation was “completely under control.” However, independent monitoring networks indicated that several IRGC Navy personnel were killed during the exchanges.

Trump’s Truth Social Ultimatum: Turn Over or Destroy the “Nuclear Dust”

The kinetic strikes followed a highly specific warning posted by President Trump on Truth Social. Trump addressed Iran’s estimated 440-kilogram stockpile of 60% highly enriched uranium—a level just a short technical step away from weapons-grade material.

In his statement, Trump signaled a potential, significant shift in U.S. negotiation terms, suggesting Washington might allow the material to remain on Iranian soil provided it is completely neutralized under strict global watch:

“The Enriched Uranium (Nuclear Dust!) will either be immediately turned over to the United States to be brought home and destroyed or, preferably, in conjunction and coordination with the Islamic Republic of Iran, destroyed in place or, at another acceptable location, with the Atomic Energy Commission [IAEA], or its equivalent, being witness to this process and event.”

Nuclear policy analysts note that allowing “in-place destruction” represents a pragmatic compromise from the Trump administration, given that Tehran has historically refused to deport its enriched stockpiles to foreign powers like the U.S. or Russia.

Peace Talks in Qatar Hang in the Balance

The military friction coincided directly with the arrival of a high-level Iranian diplomatic delegation in Qatar, led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Central Bank Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati. The presence of Iran’s top banker indicates that the unfreezing of billions of dollars in overseas Iranian assets is a core element of the ongoing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) discussions.

Despite the strikes, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking during an official visit to India, expressed cautious optimism that a diplomatic resolution remains viable. “The president’s expressed his desire to make it,” Rubio told reporters. “He’s either going to make a good deal or no deal.”

The proposed framework currently on the table seeks a 60-day extension of the formal truce and the immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping, with broader nuclear enrichment limits scheduled to be hammered out later.