The US carried out “self-defense” strikes in Iran over the weekend – as President Donald Trump sent back changes to a proposed deal to extend the existing ceasefire in the region and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

The weekend strikes in Iran targeted Iranian radar and command and control sites and were a response to “aggressive Iranian actions that included the shootdown of a US MQ-1 drone that was operating over international waters,” US Central Command said Sunday night.

“US fighter aircraft swiftly responded by eliminating Iranian air defenses, a ground control station, and two one-way attack drones that posed clear threats to ships transiting regional waters,” Central Command said.

Meanwhile, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it struck a US air base allegedly used to launch an attack on a telecommunications tower on Iran’s Sirik Island, according to a statement carried by several Iranian state-run news outlets.

The statement did not say which air base it reportedly struck, but the announcement came after Kuwait reported it repelled drone and missile attacks.

Iran and the US have repeatedly exchanged fire since their shaky ceasefire came into effect in early-April, including last week when Kuwait also said it came under fire from Iranian missiles and drones. Those flare-ups have rattled the region, but have so far not led to a collapse of the ceasefire.

Memorandum of understanding

At the heart of the ongoing talks to end hostilities is a memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran that would end hostilities and lay the groundwork for further talks on key outstanding issues.

Trump’s latest proposed changes, which he made after meeting with advisers Friday, had already extended the back-and-forth talks into another week.

“Iran really wants to make a deal, and it will be a good one for the U.S.A. and those that are with us,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social after Central Command confirmed the latest strikes.

The exact changes Trump requested weren’t immediately clear, but officials said the president has insisted on tougher language surrounding Iran’s nuclear commitments and its pledge to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. US allies in the Gulf have been briefed on the discussions. One foreign official familiar with the matter told CNN the changes aren’t substantive and mostly center on a US desire for assurances on those issues.

Trump has also voiced concern at what financial relief might be provided for Iran as part of the deal, wary of comparisons to the “pallets of cash” that were delivered under the Obama-era nuclear deal he derides as weak.

Before the latest strikes in Iran were announced, one US official told CNN more military strikes are unlikely with a deal close, and regional allies do not want combat operations to resume.

The latest volley of proposed changes comes a week after Trump declared the deal “largely finalized” and signaled the end of the war was imminent.

Since then, US officials have telegraphed progress on reaching an agreement that would end hostilities, reopen the strait and begin more detailed talks on Iran’s nuclear program.

Yet even after Trump announced he would make a “final determination” during Friday’s meeting, and spelled out some of the deal’s conditions on social media, the two-hour session ended without a conclusive decision.

While Trump claimed in his message that the US would seize and destroy Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium, Iran has consistently said it is not discussing details of its nuclear program under the current negotiations.

Trump also claimed there had been no discussion of exchanging money as part of the deal, a condition Iran says must be included in any agreement.

How those discrepancies are resolved remained unclear as the haggling over the deal’s language ground forward.

Axios and The New York Times reported earlier on Trump’s request for changes.

‘No trust’ in the enemy, Iran says

Irananian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Sunday that no agreement will be approved with the United States until Tehran’s “rights” are secured, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency.

“The soldiers of the diplomatic battlefield have no trust in the words and promises of the enemy. What matters to us is tangible achievements that we must obtain, in exchange for which we will fulfil our commitments,” Tasnim cited Ghalibaf as saying.

CNN has learned that an Iranian ballistic missile was intercepted last week near Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, leading to minor injuries among base personnel due to falling debris, a source familiar said.

Delaware Sen. Chris Coons on Sunday morning said the terms Trump outlined last week for a deal look acceptable on paper, but expressed skepticism it would be achievable in practice – particularly in regard to the Strait of Hormuz.

“While we can use our technological superiority to bomb big factories in Iran, we’re not going to be able to stop them from having the power to use their mines to close the Strait of Hormuz and their drones to attack us and our allies,” Coons, a Democrat who sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said on “Fox News Sunday.” “We’re going to need a tough deal to actually address this new capability that Iran has demonstrated in this war.”

In response to Iran’s chokehold on the strait, a critical passage for the global energy trade, Trump has directed the US Navy to blockade the country’s ports and clear the strait of Iranian mines.

The blockade has continued amid the negotiations, with the US military on Friday disabling a Gambian-flagged vessel that was heading to Iran by firing a missile into its engine room, according to US Central Command.

CENTCOM said in a statement posted to social media on Saturday the M/V Lian Star was en route to an Iranian port in the Gulf of Oman when the US military issued “more than 20 warnings” that it was violating the US blockade of Iranian ports.

It marked the fifth commercial ship the US military has disabled since the blockade began, CENTCOM said. More than 100 vessels have also been redirected.

Oil reserves

As the economic impacts continue amid the negotiations, National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said Sunday that the federal government and private companies still have “billions” of oil barrels in reserve while using supplies to offset rising oil prices.

“There’s plenty of runway … there’s a lot of pressure on Iran to finally agree to the president’s terms,” he said in an interview on ABC’s “This Week,” replying to concerns from an Exxon Mobil executive last Thursday that inventories are approaching “unheard of” levels.

The Strategic Petroleum Reserve declined by another 9.1 million barrels between May 15 and May 22, according to a weekly report released by the Energy Information Administration. That’s more than the record-setting decline of 8.6 million barrels reported on May 13.

If a deal is confirmed with Iran and current blockades are removed from the Strait of Hormuz, it could take two months for oil supplies to return to normal, Hassett said.

Lower oil prices will also depend on how quickly refineries can revive their oil flows, after sites paused production amid the war.

Elevated oil prices have triggered higher gas prices. Average US gas prices hit $4.34 per gallon on Sunday, according to AAA. That’s down about 18 cents from a week ago but remains almost 46% higher compared to the start of the war.

Rising energy prices have affected Americans’ perceptions of the economy. Just 16% of Americans rate the economy as excellent or good, according to a recent Gallup poll.

Hassett waved off Americans’ souring perceptions of the economy, claiming gains in real wages and the stock market have offset inflation.

“If they look at their wallets and look at how much money they have after, you know, the increase in prices, they’re going to find that they have a lot more money,” he said. (CNN)

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