US Strikes Iran's Qeshm Island as Trump Signals Progress in Talks
The US attacked Iran's Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, the Wall Street Journal reported. President Donald Trump meanwhile signalled progress in talks to end the eight-month-old conflict.
The United States struck Iran's Qeshm Island on Monday, according to a report by the US newspaper the Wall Street Journal. Qeshm is the largest island in the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway for oil shipments. The attack came as US President Donald Trump pointed to progress in negotiations with Tehran aimed at ending the eight-month-old war, which began in late February.
What the reports say
Citing unnamed US officials, the Journal described the strike as the latest in a series of limited attacks that Washington has carried out in secret over recent weeks. Iran's state news agency IRNA reported that five explosions were heard on the island in rapid succession, and that some residents said they had seen two aircraft in the sky.
The Pentagon referred questions about the reported strikes to US Central Command, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the AFP news agency late on Monday.
Nature of the strikes
According to the newspaper, the US has been conducting smaller-scale strikes on Iran for several weeks. Some officials characterised them as defensive, intended to stop Iran from having the freedom to attack commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. The strait is a key conduit for oil shipments and has been largely blocked since the war began. The paper said Washington has not announced the attacks publicly so as not to signal any intention of resuming major combat operations.
Talks and oil prices
On Monday, the eve of US midterm elections, Trump said a deal with Tehran "could happen". Oil prices, which had surged because of Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, fell by more than seven percent on Monday amid optimism about a possible end to the conflict.
