"to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces", US Central Command (Centcom) said in a statement. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Tuesday it had downed a US drone and fired at a fighter jet and another drone that entered Iranian airspace, state media reported. It did not specify when this happened. It added that Iran had the "legitimate and definite" right to retaliate against any US ceasefire violations. "US forces conducted self-defence strikes in southern Iran today to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces," Centcom spokesperson Capt Tim Hawkins said in a statement on Monday. "US Central Command continues to defend our forces while using restraint during the ongoing ceasefire." Capt Hawkins added the US strikes targeted an area near Bandar Abbas, a southern port city and home of an Iranian naval base that sits on the Strait of Hormuz, according to the New York Times. Iranian state media had earlier reported that local officials in Bandar Abbas were investigating after explosions were heard. It is unclear what impact the latest US strikes will have on any potential peace agreement between the US and Iran. (BBC)