WASHINGTON (The Thursday Times) — The United States struck Iran’s Qeshm Island on Monday, US officials said, the latest in a series of limited strikes kept deliberately quiet in recent weeks, hours after President Donald Trump said there had been no fighting for months and that a deal with Tehran could happen.
Iranian state media had earlier reported several explosions on the island, which sits at the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz and hosts a large underground missile site, a naval base and a major desalination plant. US Central Command did not immediately comment, and the Defense Department referred questions to it.
Officials said the strikes had been under way for several weeks and were being kept small and unannounced so as not to signal any intent to resume the main military campaign against Iran. Some described them as defensive, intended to deny Iran the freedom to attack commercial ships in the strait.
A US official said the strikes targeted “Iranians using surface-to-air missiles against U.S. assets”, and another said the incident did not mark “the start of expanded strikes”. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards had claimed earlier on Monday to have captured two US reconnaissance drones south of Qeshm and destroyed an MQ-9 drone east of the strait. Iranian media also reported explosions in the port city of Bandar Lengeh.
“We had a war with Iran. We won,” Trump told reporters on Monday. “I don’t know if you even call it a war because we haven’t been doing any fighting for months.” Asked if he was considering striking Iran after Tuesday’s midterm elections, he replied “no”. Vice President JD Vance had said the same day that Washington had “made some progress” towards a deal.
Gulf states told to prepare
US officials also said Central Command had moved additional missile defences and munitions into the region, and that Gulf states had been told to prepare for a short, intense US operation shortly after the midterms. Senior officials have presented options ranging from further air strikes to tighter sanctions and a stricter blockade on Iranian trade, and administration officials say the president is still weighing them all.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, said on Monday that responsibility for any deal now lies with Washington and described Iran’s demands as reasonable. Senior Iranian figures, including Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, have warned that Iran would retaliate both within and beyond the region if the US reignites the conflict.
Qatari mediators arrived in Tehran on Monday evening to resume talks on a deal under which Iran would quickly reopen the Strait of Hormuz in return for US sanctions relief, a diplomat familiar with the negotiations said. Pakistan has also been a central go-between throughout the war.
Oil turns higher
Oil prices rose in early Asian trade after the report of the strike. Brent crude was up about 0.5 percent at $105.25 a barrel, and US crude was at $96.93, after both fell more than 7 percent on Monday on hopes of a settlement.
