U.S. forces strike more locations in southern Iran
WASHINGTON (NBC, KYMA) - U.S. forces struck more locations in southern Iran overnight, with the Pentagon saying they were "defensive strikes" aimed at military targets near the Strait of Hormuz, and said the ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran still holds.
Iran responded with a warning Tuesday morning, and claims that it shot down a U.S. drone.
This all comes as President Donald Trump is set to undergo a third medical check up in the past 13 months.
A trip to Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington on tap for President Trump as the president turns 80 next month, and is often seen with bruises on the back of his right hand.
The president also sometimes appears to be drowsy in meetings, but in a February interview with NBC's Tom Llamas, Trump insisted he's in excellent health.
The checkup comes a day after the president honored the nation's war dead, including the 13 service members who have died during the Iran war.
"These incredible men and women gave their lives to ensure that the world's number one state sponsor of terror will never have a nuclear weapon," Trump expressed.
Even as the U.S. conducted new strikes in southern Iran overnight, talks to end the war continue.
Trump posted to social media saying negotiations are "proceeding nicely," and said the end result will be "a great deal for all, or no deal at all."
A senior administration official says the president's plan calls for the immediate re-opening of the Strait of Hormuz, and the start of a 60-day clock for talks on Iran's nuclear program and its enriched uranium, buried by last summer's U.S. strikes.
Iran is pushing to control traffic through the strait indefinitely.
"The straits need to be open unimpeded, without tolls, and obviously that needs to happen immediately," said Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
In a new post Tuesday morning, Iran warns it will "respond decisively to any violation of the ceasefire."
Lawmakers from both parties eager for a deal, even if it's short term.
"The farmers here in Kentucky can't afford the fertilizer to put on their fields, so heck yes, I would support it," said Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY).
A potential complication: Trump says any deal to end the war should require more Middle Eastern countries to join the Abraham Accords, an agreement he brokered which attempts to normalize relations with Israel.
