US President Donald Trump confirmed on Tuesday, November 3, that American forces had struck an air-defense installation in Iran the previous night. In an interview with Fox News, he said the target had taken about two months to build and that the US had monitored its construction. Earlier reports by The Wall Street Journal and other media said the strikes hit Qeshm Island, in the Strait of Hormuz; Trump did not identify the location in his remarks quoted in the report.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Tehran reserved the right to defend itself. Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian warned that renewed hostilities would benefit no one and said his government was seeking a resolution through dialogue. He also said Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei had given him authority to discuss issues previously considered taboo, without specifying them.
Anonymous US officials cited by The Wall Street Journal and other media described the strikes as part of a series of limited, defensive operations conducted without public announcement in recent weeks. The Israeli military told Agence France-Presse it was not involved.
Qatar, which is mediating in the conflict, said both sides remained engaged in negotiations. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari said Doha hoped an agreement could still be reached and was working toward an interim deal, while warning that escalation could complicate the talks. Iran’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said the United States now had the responsibility to prevent a war.
The latest strike comes amid efforts to negotiate over the Strait of Hormuz. Iran proposed on Monday reopening the strategic waterway within two days, shortening the seven-day timeline in a plan it had put forward in September. Tehran has tied reopening the strait to a region-wide ceasefire, the release of Iranian assets held abroad, the lifting of sanctions on its oil sector and an end to the US naval blockade of Iranian ports.
Sources: Le Monde International.