U.S. Central Command, which has been blockading the Strait of Hormuz since April 13 with the support of multiple carrier strike groups and guided-missile destroyers, conducted “self-defense strikes” on Monday in southern Iran.

According to CENTCOM spokesman Cpt. Tim Hawkins, the strikes targeted missile launch sites and Iranian boats attempting to emplace mines and were executed with the aim of protecting American troops from “threats posed by Iranian forces.”

‘I laugh at all of the Dumocrats, RINOS, and Fools.’

Explosions were reported along the coast hemming the Strait of Hormuz and in the Iranian city of Bandar Abbas, reported Reuters.

Hawkins said that CENTCOM nevertheless continues to use restraint during the ongoing ceasefire with Iran that was brokered on April 8.

America’s latest kinetic action against Iranian targets took place nearly 90 days into the war and amid peace talks, which President Donald Trump hinted in recent days are progressing.

Trump announced on Saturday that he had a “very good call” with the leaders of Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates regarding Iran and a memorandum of understanding pertaining to peace.

RELATED: Thousands more American troops stationed in Middle East this Memorial Day as peace with Iran looms on the horizon

Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Dan Snow/US Navy/Getty Images

“An Agreement has been largely negotiated, subject to finalization between the United States of America, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the various other Countries, as listed,” said Trump, adding that the agreement, if ratified, would result in the opening of the Strait of Hormuz.

This announcement of a possible forthcoming agreement — which reportedly involves a 60-day ceasefire extension, a reopening of the strait, and a plan for future negotiations regarding Iran’s nuclear program — greatly distressed hawks as well as some Israelis.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), for instance, said he was “deeply concerned” about the alleged deal with Iran, noting that a result favoring the Iranians “would be a disastrous mistake.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) concern-mongered about “a deal that is perceived to allow Iran to survive.” He also added that “Iran being perceived as having the ability to terrorize the Strait in perpetuity and the ability the inflict massive damage to Gulf oil infrastructure is a major shift of the balance of power in the region and over time will be a nightmare for Israel.”

After other prominent voices expressed their concerns stateside and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered them some reassurances, Trump stated early on Monday, “I laugh at all of the Dumocrats, RINOS, and Fools who know nothing about the potential deal I am making with Iran, things that haven’t even been negotiated yet.”

The president clarified that “it will only be a Great Deal for all or, no Deal at all — Back to the Battlefront and shooting, but bigger and stronger than ever before — And nobody wants that!”

In addition to emphasizing that the peace process was a “very complex puzzle,” Trump said that the Middle Eastern leaders on his Saturday call should sign onto the Abraham Accords to normalize relations with Israel.

Later on Monday, the president noted that “the Enriched Uranium (Nuclear Dust!) will either be immediately turned over to the United States to be brought home and destroyed or, preferably, in conjunction and coordination with the Islamic Republic of Iran, destroyed in place or, at another acceptable location, with the Atomic Energy Commission, or its equivalent, being witness to this process and event.”

Iranian officials were similarly evasive about a possible deal.

“It is correct to say that we have reached a conclusion on a large portion of the issues under discussion,” Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baqai said on Monday. “But to say that this means the signing of an agreement is imminent — no one can make such a claim.”

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​Donald trump, Iran, Us central command, Military, War, Strait of hormuz, Tehran, Israel, Ted cruz, Lindsey graham, Conflict, Peace, Politics, Benjamin netanyahu 

Florida just became the first state to seriously challenge the surrogacy industry after a gay couple living in France contracted with a woman in Florida to be their surrogate.

The couple petitioned the Broward County court for early parental rights.

While Judge Marlon Weiss granted their petition, he questioned whether surrogacy is constitutional, claiming it violates the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery.

“Judge Marlon Weiss argued that if unborn children are legally entitled to personhood, then they cannot legally be part of a contractual arrangement that treats them as property,” BlazeTV host Allie Beth Stuckey explains on “Relatable.”

In November, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier moved to intervene after the child was born, also calling the practice unconstitutional.

“Today, registered sex offenders and foreigners — including Chinese nationals — buy thousands of babies from U.S. surrogacy companies. This modern day slavery is morally wrong, endangers children, and threatens national security. It must be stopped,” Uthmeier wrote in a post on X.

“It is akin to slavery,” Stuckey agrees. “Like, if we genuinely believe that the unborn are human beings, it follows that buying and selling them is slavery.”

“And that is what is happening during surrogacy, especially when it is the surrogacy that is by two men, because you have to purchase the eggs of one woman and rent the womb of another woman. And so, you are purchasing half of the DNA of that child from the genetic mother,” she says.

And this is why Stuckey believes it’s “a form of trafficking.”

“I’m not saying all of those children will literally after birth be harmed or be trafficked or be abused in some way, but it is a way of commodifying women’s bodies and children. It is. It is a way of saying, ‘I don’t care what you have to go through. I want this child,’” she says.

Stuckey recalls an interview she once did with a woman named Brittney, who had previously carried a baby for a gay couple.

“She was then diagnosed with cancer when she was about 20 or so weeks pregnant, and the couple urged her to abort her child, and she didn’t want to have an abortion,” Stuckey explains, noting that the couple wanted her to get an abortion because the child was going to be born premature.

“She did end up giving birth, and the child died. She did end up, you know, having chemotherapy. But the dads, one of whom was biologically related to this baby, didn’t even show up at the hospital — not to check on her, not to hold the baby,” she says.

“I’m telling you, that kind of story is so common. Many times in these surrogacy contracts, these women are obligated to say they will get an abortion if the intended parents want an abortion,” she continues.

“I think that happens far more often than we realize,” she says. “These babies have no rights.”

Want more from Allie Beth Stuckey?

To enjoy more of Allie’s upbeat and in-depth coverage of culture, news, and theology from a Christian, conservative perspective, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

​Allie beth stuckey, Child trafficking, Surrogacy, Ethics, Reproductive rights, Pregnancy, James uthmeier, Slavery, Relatable