The US military conducted limited strikes on Iran's Qeshm Island on Monday, describing the operation as defensive and aimed at protecting American assets, according to three US officials cited by CNN.
One official said the action followed Iranian forces firing at a US aircraft. Iran's state-affiliated Fars News Agency reported explosions on the island, while the Revolutionary Guard claimed it had downed two American reconnaissance drones.
Iranian officials have threatened a wider response to further attacks. Meanwhile, oil prices rose in Asian trading following news of the strikes, reversing an earlier decline driven by hopes of a diplomatic breakthrough.
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US STRIKES IRANIAN MISSILE SITES ON QESHM ISLAND AFTER ATTACK ON AMERICAN AIRCRAFT U.S. forces struck Iran's Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday night, the eve of the midterms, after Iran's Revolutionary Guard fired a surface-to-air missile at a U.S. aircraft, U.S. officials told multiple outlets. A U.S. fighter jet destroyed the missile launcher in self-defense, an official told Axios. Iranian state media reported five explosions in rapid succession across the island. Russian state outlet RT posted video it says shows the strikes. Two U.S. officials told ABC News the limited, defensive strikes do not signal a return to major combat operations. The Wall Street Journal first reported that the U.S. has quietly carried out a series of similar strikes on Iran in recent weeks, kept unpublicized to avoid signaling an escalation. U.S. Central Command had not publicly disclosed a strike on Iranian military targets since Sept. 1, USA Today reported. Iran's Revolutionary Guard claimed it downed or captured U.S. drones near the island, according to Iranian media. A U.S. official told ABC News the claim was false, and Central Command said all American unmanned vessels in the region were accounted for, per Gulf News. Qeshm, the largest island in the Persian Gulf, is home to an underground missile site, a naval base and a major desalination plant, per Fox News. CNBC reported that anti-ship missiles, mines and drones are believed to be stored there in tunnels. The strikes came hours after President Trump wrote on Truth Social that "Iran wants a settlement, as soon as possible." Vice President JD Vance told CNN he and Trump "feel really good about the prospect of potentially coming to a negotiated settlement," but called the Iranians "unpredictable." Qatar-led talks in Doha have produced no breakthrough.
— AmericaToday.com (@ATNewsChannel) November 3, 2026
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