U.S. carries out new strikes against Iranian military site, official says

The U.S. military carried out another round of strikes on Iran, a U.S. official confirmed to CBS News on Wednesday, another challenge to a shaky ceasefire between the two countries.

The official described the strikes as defensive, targeting a military site that threatened American forces and commercial traffic. The official said the U.S.-Iran ceasefire is still considered to be holding.

Reuters was first to report on the new strikes.

The strikes came just two days after U.S. Central Command confirmed an earlier round of “self-defense strikes” on southern Iran, hitting missile launch sites and Iranian boats that allegedly sought to lay mines. CENTCOM spokesperson Capt. Tim Hawkins said Monday the strikes were carried out to “protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces.”

Iran condemned the earlier strikes, calling the move a “grave violation of the ceasefire” and vowing that the Iranian government “will not leave any act of hostility unanswered.”

The attacks come as President Trump presses Iran to strike a longer-term agreement with the United States — and threatens to resume a large-scale bombing campaign if Iran does not agree to his terms. 

Over the weekend, the president expressed optimism, saying a peace deal had been “largely negotiated.” But by Wednesday, Mr. Trump appeared less confident, saying at a Cabinet meeting the U.S. is “not satisfied.”

“Maybe we have to go back and finish it, maybe we don’t,” Mr. Trump said, adding that he thinks Iran wants to make a deal.

This is a breaking story; it will be updated.