The U.S. military struck Iran’s Qeshm island on Monday in what American officials described as a limited defensive action against Iranians accused of planning missile attacks on U.S. assets. Officials said there were no immediate plans to escalate.
One U.S. official said the strike resembled other small-scale attacks carried out against Iran in recent weeks and was intended to prevent attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Another official said the action followed the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps shooting down an American drone and firing at two U.S. fighter jets flying over the strait, missing both.
The strikes come as President Donald Trump has been weighing further action against Iran after the midterm elections. On Monday, however, he said on social media that an agreement “could happen.” In a Fox News interview with Sean Hannity that night, Trump said there was no war currently underway, but warned that conflict could follow if Iran did not make a deal. He said he believed Tehran wanted an agreement and that there was a “very good chance” one could be reached.
Vice President JD Vance said Monday that the United States and Iran had made some “progress,” adding that he and Trump felt “pretty good” about the prospects for an agreement.
The recent limited strikes, which neither country has publicly acknowledged, were the first U.S. bombings of targets inside Iran since two days of attacks in early September, according to the report. In early September, the United States also destroyed five Iranian crude oil carriers after Iran launched missiles at two American warships in the Arabian Sea, missing them.
Sources: The New York Times Politics.