Deal with Iran Still Possible Despite US Attack

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. (Wikimedia Commons/U.S. Department of State/Freddie Everett)

JAKARTA - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that an agreement with Iran was still possible despite new US attacks that cast doubt on their fragile ceasefire.

"There were several talks taking place in Qatar today, so we'll see if we can make progress. I think there were a lot of back-and-forth talks about specific language in the initial document, so it will take a few days," Foreign Minister Rubio told reporters in Jaipur during his visit to India, launching Al Arabiya from AFP (26/5).

"The president has expressed his desire to make it happen. He will make a good deal or not at all," he said.

As previously reported, the US launched another attack in southern Iran by targeting missile launchers and ships suspected of laying sea mines.

"US forces conducted a defensive attack in southern Iran today to protect our personnel from Iranian forces' threats," US Central Command (CENTCOM) spokesman Captain Tim Hawkins told Fox News.

Hawkins said the targets of the attack included a missile launch site and an Iranian ship that was said to be trying to place mines.

"US Central Command continues to protect our forces while remaining restrained during the ceasefire," Hawkins said.

CENTCOM did not immediately respond to a request for further confirmation of the statement.

Hawkins also did not provide additional details regarding the location or scale of the attack carried out by US forces.

Iranian media on Monday reported hearing explosions in the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas as well as the areas around Sirik and Jask on the Gulf coast.

The semi-official Fars news agency reported that a number of Bandar Abbas residents heard several explosions, although the source and exact location of the explosions could not be determined.

Fars also reported that similar explosions were heard almost simultaneously in the areas around Sirik and Jask, which face the Gulf region.

The attack came as Iran's chief negotiators arrived in Doha for the latest round of talks to end a months-long conflict that has prompted Iran to blockade the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for global energy exports.

"The strait must be open," Rubio told reporters.

"They will remain open, so they have to open. What is happening there is against the law, illegal, unsustainable for the world, and unacceptable," he said.