America launches strikes against Iranian missile facilities and ships suspected of planting naval mines.

The United States has initiated a new wave of strikes against southern Iran, specifically targeting the country's missile sites and vessels attempting to lay mines, in a move that underscores the ongoing tensions between the two nations.

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According to the US Central Command, or Centcom, these strikes were carried out in self-defence, with the primary goal of protecting American troops from the threats posed by Iranian forces, and do not signify the end of the current ceasefire with Tehran.

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The latest strikes mark the second major attack to occur during the seven-week ceasefire, and coincided with a visit by Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of Iran's parliament, to Qatar, where he led a delegation of negotiators.

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Capt Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for Centcom, stated that "US forces conducted self-defence strikes in southern Iran yesterday to protect troops from threats posed by Iranian forces," and emphasized that the US Central Command remains committed to defending its forces while exercising restraint during the ongoing ceasefire.

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Capt Hawkins further revealed that the US strikes targeted an area near Bandar Abbas, a key southern port city and home to an Iranian naval base situated on the Strait of Hormuz, as reported by the New York Times.

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Prior to the US announcement, Iranian state media had reported that local officials in Bandar Abbas were investigating a series of explosions that were heard in the area.

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In a statement posted on his official X account and read out on Iranian state television, Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei declared that the Middle East countries "will no longer serve as shields for American bases" as a consequence of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.

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Khamenei's statement also asserted that "the hand of time does not turn back" and that "America will no longer have a safe haven for mischief and the establishment of military bases in the region," marking a significant shift in the regional dynamics.

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Khamenei has not been seen in public since his election as the successor to his father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on February 28 by airstrikes targeting his office in Tehran in the opening hours of the U.S.-Israeli campaign.