US forces carried out limited strikes on Iran’s Qeshm island on Monday, November 2, three American officials told CNN. They described the operation as defensive and said it was intended to protect US assets in the region. One official said the strikes followed Iranian fire at a US aircraft, while another said Iran had used surface-to-air missiles against US assets.
The action did not appear to be the kind of large-scale combat operation US officials had been considering. The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the strikes, said similar operations had previously been conducted in secret. A source familiar with the matter told CNN the government deliberately kept the latest action quiet to avoid overstating its significance.
The strikes came as President Donald Trump said diplomacy with Tehran remained possible, writing on social media that a deal “could happen.” In a Fox News appearance on Monday night, Trump did not address the reports of the new strikes directly. He said there had been no recent fighting and argued that a broader conflict could follow if Iran did not reach an agreement.
Vice President JD Vance also said Monday that the US and Iran had made “some progress” toward ending the conflict. He said the president retained both military and non-military options, and that the two had discussed the war and were “pretty optimistic” about a possible deal.
Qeshm lies about 22.5 kilometres from the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas and is important to Iran’s ability to control traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. Before the war, about 20 million barrels of oil passed through the strait each day. The US had also conducted operations against the island earlier in the conflict.
Sources: CNN Brasil.