US military conducts strikes on Iran’s Qeshm Island in defensive operation, officials say

By Alayna Treene, Kevin Liptak, CNN

(CNN) — The US military carried out limited strikes on Iran’s Qeshm Island on Monday, three US officials told CNN, characterizing the action as defensive in nature and meant to protect US assets in the region.

One official said the US attack came in response to Iran firing at a US aircraft. It does not appear to be the kind of major combat operation that officials have been contemplating, and the Wall Street Journal, which first revealed the operation, reported that other such strikes have been carried out previously in secret.

“This was a defensive measure for Iranians using surface to air missiles against US assets,” another US official said.

But the new action, on the eve of Election Day, is a reminder that the situation in Iran is still unresolved, and combat is still very much on the table.

One person familiar with the matter said the administration deliberately kept the attack under wraps in an effort not to overstate the defensive move. The person added that the strikes were meant to protect US assets.

The attack comes as President Donald Trump on Monday suggested that diplomacy with Tehran is still at work, writing on social media that an agreement “could happen.” In an appearance that aired on Fox News Monday night, Trump did not specifically address the reports of new strikes in Iran, but broadly defended his decision to launch the war in Iran and suggested there had not been recent fighting.

“We’re not fighting a war. Everyone says ‘you’re at war!’ Well, when was the last time we fired anything? This isn’t a war — it’s a very soft war … But this isn’t like a war that’s going on. There’s no war raging. It could happen if they don’t make a deal, but they want to make a deal very badly and there’s a very good chance we make a deal,” Trump said.

Vice President JD Vance struck a similar tone on Monday, telling reporters that the US and Iran have “made some progress” toward an off ramp to the war.

“The Iranians are always a little unpredictable, and as the president always says, he retains kinetic options, he retains non-kinetic options. But we’ve certainly made some progress. We’ll see if we can make some more,” the vice president said, adding that he had just spoken with the president about the war and both men felt “pretty good” about a potential deal.

Qeshm Island, which is about 14 miles from the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas, is key to Iran asserting control over traffic through the vital Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20 million barrels of oil passed every day before the war.

The US has targeted the island previously in the war.

This story has been updated with additional details.

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CNN’s Alejandra Jaramillo contributed to this report.