Topline<\/p>\n
Iran threatened to retaliate against the U.S. after it conducted so-called \u201cself-defense strikes\u201d against Iranian forces on Monday, escalating tensions amid a fragile ceasefire hours after President Donald Trump said negotiations to end the war were \u201cproceeding nicely.\u201d <\/p>\n
Demonstrators carry a portrait of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei after a ceremony to commemorate civilians and military personnel who were killed during military operations involving the United States and Israel, at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosque in downtown Tehran, Iran, on May 24, 2026. (Photo by Morteza Nikoubazl\/NurPhoto via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
NurPhoto via Getty ImagesKey Facts<\/p>\n
Iran\u2019s foreign ministry said Iran \u201cwill not leave any act of mischief unanswered and will not hesitate in defending the country\u2019s integrity\u201d in a statement Tuesday accusing the U.S. of violating the ceasefire.<\/p>\n
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps also said it \u201cconsiders its right to retaliate legitimate and definite,\u201d the IRNA state news agency reported Tuesday after the U.S. attacked two Iranian vessels it said were attempting to lay mines in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday and fired on missile-launch sites.<\/p>\n
The IRGC said it shot down a U.S. drone and engaged a U.S. fighter jet in the crossfire, IRNA reported. <\/p>\n
Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei also said Tuesday the U.S. would no longer have \u201ca safe haven for its mischief and for establishing military bases\u201d in the Middle East, calling on Muslim countries to band together to cease serving \u201cas shields for U.S. bases.\u201d<\/p>\n
The U.S. launched the attacks hours after Trump said on Truth Social<\/a> that \u201cnegotiations with the Islamic Republic of Iran are proceeding nicely,\u201d writing that \u201cit will only be a Great Deal for all or, no Deal at all.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said negotiations to end the war would continue in Qatar despite the attacks, echoing Trump\u2019s sentiment that \u201che\u2019s either going to make a good deal or no deal,\u201d he told reporters during a trip to India. <\/p>\n Rubio also said \u2018the straits have to be open, they\u2019re going to be open . . . what\u2019s happening there is unlawful, it\u2019s illegal, it\u2019s unsustainable for the world, it\u2019s unacceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n Tangent<\/p>\n Trump called for Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan and other Middle Eastern countries to sign the Abraham Accords as part of an agreement with Iran to end the war. The agreement, signed at the White House in 2020, established diplomatic relations between Israel and Bahrain and the UAE.<\/p>\n Key Background<\/p>\n The strikes Monday stopped short of fully restarting the war, with U.S. Central Command spokesperson Capt. Tim Hawkins telling The New York Times in a statement, \u201cU.S. Central Command Continues to defend our forces while using restraint during the ongoing ceasefire.\u201d The incident is the latest crossfire<\/a> between the two sides since a ceasefire began on April 7. The last exchange happened on May 8, when the U.S. struck two Iranian-flagged oil tankers as they were entering an Iranian port in the Gulf of Oman, a violation of the U.S. naval blockade against ships coming in and out of Iran. <\/p>\n Further Reading<\/p>\n Cost Of Iran War Has Increased $4 Billion, Pentagon Says\u2014But Some Estimates Say It\u2019s Closer To $200 Billion<\/a> (Forbes)<\/p>\n