Satellite view of Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz. Photo: NASA, via Wikimedia Commons (public domain).
President Donald Trump confirmed on Friday that the United States military carried out new limited strikes against Iran, hitting an Iranian air-defence system on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, even as he said talks with Tehran had made "a lot of progress."
Speaking to reporters in West Palm Beach, Florida, Trump described the operation in blunt terms. "We do minor strikes," he said. "They knocked out — they built a little bit of an anti-aircraft device, and we knocked it out in about 15 minutes, maybe five."
The strikes are the first since the midterm elections on Tuesday, in which Republicans lost control of both chambers of Congress. Trump has blamed the election results in part on the Iran war, which has now lasted more than eight months.
Two explosions on Qeshm Island
Iranian state media reported the sound of two explosions in the Suza area of Qeshm Island, which sits in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which a large share of the world's oil shipments pass.
Iran's army said its air-defence forces had intercepted and destroyed an American MQ-9 drone over Qeshm Island. That claim could not be independently verified. United States Central Command, which oversees American military operations in the Middle East, said the situation was "relatively calm."
The United States military had also reported what it described as defensive strikes on Monday. Explosions were heard then on the islands of Qeshm and Hengam, and in the nearby mainland area of Bandar Abbas.
Talks continue as Qatar presents proposals
Trump told reporters several times on Friday that his administration was in contact with representatives from Tehran. "We're dealing with them now. They want to make a deal," he said. "We've made a lot of progress with Iran," he added, without providing details.
Earlier on Friday, two Middle East government officials said Iran was reviewing proposals presented by chief mediator Qatar, aimed at addressing differences with the United States over Tehran's nuclear programme. One of the officials stressed that the Iranians, at least for now, remain unwilling to engage in negotiations over their atomic activities until Washington agrees to several core conditions.
Among the conditions Iran has demanded before nuclear talks, according to the officials, are ending the American blockade on Iran's ports, lifting sanctions, unfreezing its assets, issuing compensation for war damage, and ending hostilities throughout the region, including Israeli operations in Lebanon.
Late on Friday, Central Command announced in a post on X that the United States was offering a reward of up to $20 million, and possible relocation, for information about Iran's nuclear programme, including its facilities, equipment and associated personnel.
Iran warns of a response without limits
Iran's military warned on Saturday that its forces were stronger than at the beginning of the war and prepared to respond immediately to any attack, without geographical restrictions. "The armed forces of the Islamic Republic are now on higher alert and more powerful than they were at the beginning of the war," military spokesman Mohammad Akraminia said. "On the orders of the supreme leader, any response by the armed forces will be immediate, effective and without geographical limits."
The warning followed days in which Trump has shifted between threatening Iran and suggesting a settlement could be near. On Thursday, he said the United States may have to "destroy" the rest of Iran, adding that people would "know soon enough" if he acted. The difference over Iran's nuclear programme remains the thorniest issue, and Trump has insisted it must be resolved as part of any deal meant to end the war.
Whether the latest strikes and the Qatar proposals move the two sides toward talks, or toward a wider round of fighting, is now the central question in a conflict that has already reshaped politics in Washington.
Sources: Al Jazeera; The Associated Press.