US carries out new strikes in southern Iran as Trump cites progress in talks

The US military carried out limited airstrikes in southern Iran on Friday night, hitting Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz. The action has deepened fears across the Middle East and among Gulf states that an all-out war could resume, although the US and Qatar, the chief mediator, insist that diplomacy has not stopped. The war between the US and Iran has now lasted more than eight months.

US President Donald Trump described the operation as “minor” and said it targeted Iranian air defence systems on Qeshm. By his account, it took about 15 minutes to knock them out, maybe five. Trump also said “we are not fighting” and claimed “a lot of progress” in the talks with Tehran. Iranian state media reported two missiles hitting the Suza area of Qeshm without naming targets or damage. Earlier on Friday, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said it had shot down a US military drone over southern Iran, a claim the US did not confirm.

This is the first US strike since the Democratic Party won a major victory in the midterm elections; officials and analysts link that result to voter disagreement with Trump’s decision to go to war. On Monday the US carried out other strikes it called defensive, with explosions heard on Qeshm and Hengam islands and near Bandar Abbas.

Qatar presents new proposals

Qatar denied reports of the talks collapsing, saying its mediators remain in close coordination with Washington and Tehran. Two Middle East officials told AP that Iran is reviewing Qatari proposals on differences over its nuclear programme, but is not yet willing to negotiate on it until the US accepts several core conditions. These include ending the US blockade of Iranian ports, lifting sanctions, unfreezing assets, paying compensation for war damage and ending hostilities across the region, including Israeli operations in Lebanon.

Trump spoke on Friday night with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, and US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth spoke with his Qatari counterpart. Qatar’s prime minister and foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, told an Oxford University event that the talks aim to prevent the situation from spiralling out of control.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he had spoken with at least 12 foreign ministers in two days. On Saturday, army spokesman Brig. Gen. Mohammad Akraminia warned that enemy bases in the region would not be rebuilt. Israeli analyst Danny Citrinowicz, a former head of the research department of Israel’s military intelligence, said Iran would likely seek to widen any new war by targeting Gulf states.