The U.S. and Iran exchanged fire again Tuesday, as the Trump administration pursued a 'good deal or no deal' approach to end two months of conflict.
US Central Command said it carried out self-defense strikes in southern Iran that targeted missile launch sites and boats attempting to emplace mines. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps reported four navy personnel killed in the overnight strikes, naming them as Abbas Eslami, Ghodrat Zarangari, Abdolreza Golzari, and Hossein Sotoudeh.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard claimed to have shot down a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone over its airspace and fired upon an RQ-4 drone and an F-35 fighter jet. The U.S. has lost at least 16 Reaper drones since the war began.
Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, speaking through a written statement, declared 'Death to America' will become a common slogan, and warned regional nations will no longer serve as shields for U.S. bases. Intelligence suggests Khamenei remains in an undisclosed location, injured in initial U.S. and Israeli strikes.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio insisted the blockaded Strait of Hormuz 'has to be open,' but said a deal with Iran could still be reached within days. Top Iranian officials are in Qatar for talks, and President Trump wants the International Atomic Energy Agency to oversee disposal of Iran's enriched uranium.
Separately, an Israeli airstrike in eastern Lebanon killed 12 people, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu authorized more intense strikes against Hezbollah. The attacks come ahead of direct Lebanese-Israeli talks in Washington. Over one million people have been displaced in Lebanon since Hezbollah began firing rockets on March 2.