U.S. reportedly strikes Iran's Qeshm, targeting missiles used against U.S. assets

Local outlets said the cause of reported explosions was unclear

The United States reportedly launched limited strikes on Iran’s Qeshm Island late Monday, according to US media, hours after Vice President JD Vance said diplomatic efforts to end the war were moving in the right direction. Reuters and the Associated Press reported that the strikes targeted surface-to-air missiles being used against U.S. assets. Iranian state media reported hearing several explosions on the island on Monday evening, while local outlets said the cause was unclear. US Central Command did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters.

The Wall Street Journal was the first outlet to report the operation. US media described the reported strikes as limited and defensive and said they were not thought to signal a return to full hostilities. If confirmed, the late-Monday operation would mark the first publicly known U.S. strike on Iran in weeks.

The Wall Street Journal also described the reported strikes as part of a series of attacks against Iran in recent weeks that had not been made public. Citing sources, the paper said the recent operations were carried out on a smaller scale and purposefully kept secret by the Trump administration so as not to signal any intent of resuming the military campaign against Iran.

During the US-Israel war on Iran, the United States had targeted Qeshm Island on multiple occasions. Positioned at the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz, the island had been used in the past to launch attacks on shipping in the waterway.

Despite attacks having ceased in recent weeks, Iran continued to enforce its closure of the Strait of Hormuz by targeting oil tankers, shipping containers and other vessels attempting to transit the waterway.

On Monday, after Tehran revealed indirect negotiations with Washington, Vance said he and Trump were optimistic about securing a deal. “The president and I both feel pretty good about the prospects for potentially coming to a negotiated settlement,” Vance told reporters. “We’ve certainly made some progress. We’ll see if we can make some more.”

Asked earlier Monday whether he had considered resuming strikes on Iran after Tuesday’s midterm elections, Trump replied “no.” Speaking to Fox News hours before US polls opened Tuesday, Trump continued to play down the significance of the conflict and its effects on the US economy. “There’s no war raging. It could happen if they don’t make a deal, but they want to make a deal very badly and there’s a very good chance we make a deal.”

Speaking from Washington in his closing message of the midterm campaign, Trump hailed a sharp drop in oil prices as his administration touted renewed diplomatic efforts to end the war.

The reported strikes came on the eve of the U.S. midterm elections. The Guardian said voters were expected to punish Trump’s Republican Party over the war’s cascading effect on the U.S. cost of living. Rising petrol prices caused by the war had become a signature issue in the midterm elections, with polls showing voters likely to punish Republicans for that cost-of-living effect.