US military attacks southern Iran missile sites

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The US military said Monday that it carried out "self-defense" strikes in southern Iran, including on missile launch sites and boats placing mines, even as President Donald Trump said on social media that negotiations were "proceeding nicely."

The strikes were done "to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces," but the military was "using restraint during the ongoing ceasefire," Capt. Tim Hawkins, US Central Command spokesman, said in a statement.

Further details were not immediately available, including more specifics on the threats from Iran and what this means for negotiations. Earlier, Trump said any agreement to end the Iran war should include a requirement for several additional countries, including Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, to join the Abraham Accords, the U.S.-brokered agreements from Trump's first term aimed at normalizing relations with Israel. 

The proposal came as the emerging Iran deal faced criticism from fellow Republicans who favor a harder line on Iran, and it could add new diplomatic complications to the negotiations.

Trump pointed to Saudi Arabia and Qatar as countries that should "immediately" sign on, alongside Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt and Jordan. Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates became the first countries to join in 2020.

He wrote that "after all the work done by the United States to try and pull this very complex puzzle together, it should be mandatory that all of these Countries, at a minimum, simultaneously, sign onto the Abraham Accords."

Trump has long hoped Saudi Arabia would join, but the kingdom has maintained that any normalization deal requires first establishing a clear path for Palestinian statehood. That's also key for Pakistan, which is among the countries that do not have diplomatic relations with Israel. 

Meanwhile, Trump honored fallen service members during a Memorial Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery on Monday. Trump recognized the approaching 250th anniversary of American independence as a "historic milestone" and noted that "there could be no Independence Day without Memorial Day" referring to the fallen.

"Before we crown the victory, we count the cost. Today we are reminded that there could be no 4th of July without America's armed forces."

Trump touched on Iran during remarks on Monday at Arlington National Cemetery in observance of Memorial Day, recalling the 13 service members killed during Operation Epic Fury, the U.S. military operation against Iran.

He said those 13 "wonderful souls" had given their lives "to ensure that the world's number one state sponsor of terror will never have a nuclear weapon."

"Oh, and they won't. They will never have a nuclear weapon," Trump told the audience of military veterans and families that have lost loved ones during military service.