US President Trump says minor strikes hit Iranian air defenses on Qeshm Island
President Donald Trump confirmed that US forces carried out limited strikes on Iranian air-defence installations on Qeshm Island and said negotiations with Tehran are progressing.
President Donald Trump told reporters in West Palm Beach, Florida, that US forces conducted "minor strikes" against Iranian air-defence systems on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, adding that a small anti-aircraft device was destroyed within about 15 minutes. Iranian state media reported missile strikes in the Suza area of the island and said an American MQ-9 drone was intercepted and destroyed.
US Central Command said the situation around the island was "relatively calm" and declined to comment further. The command also announced a reward of up to $20 million for information on Iran's nuclear program.
Trump said his administration was in talks with Iranian representatives and claimed "a lot of progress" had been made, though he provided no details. Qatar's foreign ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari rejected claims that US-Iran negotiations had failed, describing such reports as false and destabilising.
The strikes came after the recent US midterm elections. Unnamed Pentagon officials told The New York Times that US air and naval forces remain positioned to resume larger combat operations if ordered.