US President Donald Trump urged his critics to “sit back and relax” in a post on Truth Social early on Monday, saying it would “all work out well in the end.” He said Iran “really wants to make a deal, and it will be a good one for the USA.”

The strikes mark the latest exchange between the two sides after negotiations on a deal to end their months-long war failed to advance over the weekend, with US media reporting Trump had requested changes to its terms. The changes are related to the Strait of Hormuz shipping channel and the removal of highly enriched uranium from Iran, the BBC’s US news partner CBS News reported. The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

Iran Deploys Fattah-2 Hypersonic Missile in Combat for First Time

Iran has reportedly used its Fattah-2 hypersonic missile for the first time in combat, targeting US forces amid intensifying hostilities in the region, according to an Iranian military source speaking to Al Ghad. The development marks a significant escalation in the ongoing confrontation, as Tehran signals it is ready to use its most advanced strategic weapons.

The Fattah-2. Revealed in November 2023. Is an upgraded version of the Fattah-1 missile and is equipped with a hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV), but Iran claims the missile can travel at speeds up to Mach 15 and has a range of approximately 1,500 kilometres. Unlike traditional ballistic missiles. A hypersonic glide vehicle can manoeuvre unpredictably during flight, making it far more difficult to intercept — the missile reportedly carries a 200 kg explosive payload and is designed to strike both land-based and naval targets.

IRGC Claims Multiple Strikes Against US and Israeli Assets

The Islamic Major Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed it carried out four operations, including a strike on an Israeli-linked container ship in the Persian Gulf. It also said suicide drones were used to strike what it described as a gathering of US troops along the coast of the United Arab Emirates. In addition, a US Fifth Fleet-linked counter-drone system in Bahrain and two early warning radar systems at Ahmad al-Jaber Air Base in Kuwait were targeted.

Iran stated that its air defence systems shot down an incoming MQ-9 Reaper drone over the central province of Isfahan early on Tuesday. It added that since the start of the conflict, a total of 146 US and Israeli drones have been downed. The latest attacks come after a major escalation on February 28, when Israel and the United States carried out joint strikes on Tehran and other Iranian cities. Iran said those strikes killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with senior military commanders and civilians.

Stalemate in Negotiations Prolongs Tensions

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman said the US was “constantly changing its views and putting forward new or contradictory demands,” which he said would naturally “prolong negotiations.” The country’s chief negotiator had said on Sunday that Tehran would not agree to any deal unless Iranian rights were fully secured.

The US military said it had on Saturday and Sunday conducted “self-defence strikes on Iranian radar and command and control sites for drones” in the city of Goruk, near Iran’s southern coast, and Qeshm, an island in the Strait of Hormuz. In a post on X, Centcom said US fighters struck the Iranian military’s air defences, a ground control station and two drones that it said “posed a clear threat to ships transiting through regional waters.” No American personnel were injured in the attacks, it said.

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman said the strikes had been a violation of the ceasefire. The IRGC said it targeted the base which it claimed the US had used to strike a communications tower on Sirik Island in the Gulf, around 40 miles (65km) from Iran’s southern coastline.