President Donald Trump said Friday that the United States had carried out what he described as minor strikes targeting air defence systems. He spoke to reporters in West Palm Beach, Florida, after arriving on Air Force One, shortly after Iranian media reported explosions on the island in the Strait of Hormuz.1,3
The strikes are the first since Tuesday’s midterm elections in the United States, and Trump linked the two events by blaming the election results, in which his Republican Party lost ground, on the Iran war. He also said his administration had made progress in talks with Tehran, without providing details, at a moment when analysts and regional officials had debated whether the vote would lead toward further escalation or renewed diplomacy.1,3
Trump did not specify Qeshm Island by name when describing the operation. “I don’t want to talk about it,” he said before adding: “We do minor strikes, but they knock out. They built a little bit of an anti-aircraft device, and we knocked it out in about 15 minutes, maybe five.” CNBC noted that he did not explicitly confirm he was referring to the reported strikes on Qeshm.3
Iranian state media reported two missile strikes in the Suza area of Qeshm Island, off Iran’s southern coast near the Strait of Hormuz, a route described as vital for oil and gas shipments. Iranian news agency Tasnim said there was no official information on damage, according to Reuters. Another account of the reports, in The American Conservative, said explosions were reported on Qeshm Island, Hengam Island and the mainland area of Bandar Abbas.1,2,3
Iranian state broadcaster IRIB also reported an army statement saying that air defence forces intercepted and destroyed an American MQ-9 drone over Qeshm Island. Asked about reports of explosions on Qeshm Island, U.S. Central Command, which oversees U.S. military operations in the Middle East, said the situation is “relatively calm.” A CENTCOM official told Al Jazeera that the command was aware of the reports and had no further comment.1
Monday, Iranian media reported several explosions on Qeshm Island and American media outlets reported that the U.S. military had carried out what officials called defensive strikes in the Strait of Hormuz. A U.S. official told MS Now that Monday’s action was a “defensive measure,” according to CNBC.1,3
Trump said Friday that his administration was talking to representatives from Tehran. “We’re dealing with them now. They want to make a deal,” he said. “We’ve made a lot of progress with Iran,” he added. He also said Iran wants “to make a deal very badly. They have 300% inflation. Their navy’s gone. Their airport, everything’s gone, and they want to make a deal.” The International Monetary Fund forecast in a report published Oct. 13 that Iran’s consumer prices would rise by an average of 78.6 percent in 2026.1,3
When asked if he wanted to make a deal really soon, Trump said: “Well, we have nobody getting hurt, nobody getting killed.” He added: “You know, this is a war that we may have been there for seven months, but we probably fought for three or four weeks, really fought. And again, you look at World War One; that’s a war. World War Two; that’s a war.” Since the midterms, he has moved between threats and suggestions that a resolution is near, saying Thursday that the U.S. may have to “destroy” the rest of Iran and that people will “know soon enough” if he acts.1,3
Iran has said it wants more than “paper commitments” from the U.S. before entering a new phase of diplomatic talks. “We must see practical measures by the Americans,” Ali Bagheri Kani, deputy secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, told IRIB on Friday, according to Press TV. Tehran has stepped up diplomatic efforts as Trump has suggested the United States could resume full-scale strikes.1,3
Qatar on Saturday dismissed reports that negotiations between the United States and Iran have failed. “Promoting such false claims serves only those seeking to prolong the war and destabilise the region,” said Majed al-Ansari, spokesperson for the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a post on X.1
Unnamed Pentagon officials and military commanders told The New York Times on Wednesday that thousands of U.S. air and naval forces on more than a dozen ships and at bases around the Middle East and in the United States are poised to resume major combat operations against Iran on Trump’s orders, according to Al Jazeera. Separately on Friday, CENTCOM announced that the US “is offering a reward of up to $20 million and possible relocation for information about Iran’s nuclear program, including its facilities, equipment, and associated personnel, such as those in the scientific community, or the movement of any of the above.”1,2
Attacks on tankers in the Strait of Hormuz have continued. The U.K. Maritime Trade Operations organization reported at least eleven ships hit during the week ending Nov. 6, according to The American Conservative. That outlet also cited AAA figures putting the average price of regular gasoline at $4.04 per gallon and diesel at $6.21 per gallon.2
