Trump confirms US strike on Iranian island
Iran rejects Washington's reply to Hormuz reopening demands as Qeshm Island comes under fire.
By Justin Barnes ·
US President Donald Trump confirmed that American forces struck an anti-aircraft facility on Qeshm Island early Tuesday. Iranian media reported that the island, located in the Gulf near the Strait of Hormuz, was the site of the impact. US officials described the operation as a defensive response to Iranian fire aimed at an American aircraft.
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council secretary Mohsen Rezaei stated that the US response to Tehran’s seven conditions was unconvincing. He wrote on X that Washington must fully address demands including lifting sanctions and ending a naval blockade. Rezai said the Strait of Hormuz would only reopen if the US acted on these specific conditions.
Qatar is facilitating real-time exchanges of proposals between the two nations. Majed al-Ansari, a spokesperson for the Qatari Foreign Ministry, said both sides remain committed to the negotiation process. The indirect talks focus on an Iranian proposal to reopen the waterway over two days if the US meets its demands.
Trump characterized the Tuesday attack as a minor operation that was not war. He told Fox News that US forces watched the anti-aircraft facility being built over two months before hitting it upon completion. Central Command has prepared plans for further strikes that could begin as early as Wednesday, following the midterm elections. Three American aircraft carriers would be in the region at that time.
Commercial shipping in the region faced new threats as the diplomatic stand-off continued. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations reported that two unidentified projectiles hit a tanker’s engine room 14 nautical miles northeast of Limah, Oman. No casualties were reported in that incident. Separately, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed four tankers hit mines and caught fire after using unauthorized routes, and that its forces seized two other vessels.
The IRGC also claimed it destroyed two US LUCAS attack drones over Bandar Khamir. Iranian state broadcaster Pars Today reported the destruction. US political scientist John Mearsheimer questioned the effectiveness of short bombing campaigns, noting that a previous 40-day air campaign did not achieve Washington’s objectives. He warned that Iranian retaliation could draw the US into a longer confrontation and damage the global economy.
Iran’s supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei ordered the military at the weekend to respond to any threat immediately without geographical limits. He directed the military to update its list of targets. Iranian officials have suggested that European countries and undersea cables in the Gulf could be included in that list.
