Explosions hit Iran's Qeshm Island as US media report strikes in Hormuz
Several explosions were heard in rapid succession late Monday on Iran’s Qeshm Island, off the southern coast near the Strait of Hormuz, and in the port city of Bandar Lengeh, according to Iranian media. Iran’s state-owned IRNA said witnesses saw two planes over the island; the semi-official Fars news agency said blasts in Bandar Lengeh came from the direction of the sea. US outlets reported that the US military had carried out what officials called defensive strikes in the strait.
The Wall Street Journal, citing US officials, said the operations were aimed at restricting Iran’s ability to attack commercial shipping. One official said Washington had kept the campaign quiet to avoid signalling a return to major combat. The Associated Press cited a US official who said the strikes targeted Iranian assets using surface-to-air missiles against US assets. Fox News and Axios reported the attacks followed Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps firing at a US aircraft in the strait on Monday; Fox News reporter Jennifer Griffin, citing a US official, said the incident did not mark the start of expanded US strikes. There was no immediate comment from Iranian or US authorities.
Earlier Monday the IRGC claimed it had captured two US reconnaissance drones south of Qeshm with electronic warfare and destroyed an MQ-9 drone east of the strait. The reports came on the eve of US midterm elections, with President Donald Trump’s Republican Party expected to fight to keep control of the House and Senate, and amid diplomacy to avert renewed US attacks on Iran. On Truth Social, Trump wrote that oil prices were dropping almost $10 a barrel because people felt there would not be a war, adding that Iran wanted a settlement “as soon as possible.” Asked if he was considering striking Iran after Tuesday’s midterms, he replied “no.” Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the ball was in the US court, that Tehran’s peace demands had been communicated, and that a condensed Iranian plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz could be implemented within two days if Washington lifted the naval blockade of Iranian ports and ended hostilities, paving the way for reopening the strait and renewed talks.
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