US President Donald Trump has confirmed Trump Iran strikes on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, describing a nighttime raid on what he said was a newly completed anti-aircraft facility. He called the operation a “minor attack,” even as Iranian leaders warned they retain the right to self-defence and say they are ready for battle.
US officials characterised the strikes as limited and defensive, aimed at protecting American assets after Iran fired surface-to-air missiles at US aircraft. The action does not appear to match the scale of a major combat campaign, though officials noted that combat remains possible while the wider conflict stays unresolved.
What happened on Qeshm Island
The Trump Iran strikes targeted Qeshm, an island about 14 miles from Bandar Abbas and central to Iran’s efforts to control traffic through a waterway that carried about 20 million barrels of oil a day before the war. Iranian state media reported several explosions in rapid succession in the early hours of Tuesday local time; some residents also reported seeing aircraft overhead. Blasts were also heard on nearby Hengam Island and in Bandar Abbas.
Over the past week, Iran said it had targeted several US drones. Late Monday, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed it had shot down two US reconnaissance drones over Qeshm, though it is unclear whether that claim is linked to the American strikes. Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, said Tehran reserves the right to “legitimate self-defence” but framed the episode as part of an “ongoing war.”
Asked whether Israel took part in the latest reported strikes, an Israeli military spokesperson said no.
Tehran’s warning and the push for talks
Iran’s chief negotiator with the United States, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said the country stands “ready for battle with its finger on the trigger,” while arguing Tehran has already given Washington a “powerful and rational response.” “The ball is now in America’s court to prevent war,” he said in a televised speech.
President Masoud Pezeshkian struck a different note, saying his government is still trying to resolve the crisis “through dialogue” and that “no one will benefit from this war” if it reignites. He said Iran’s supreme leader had recently given the government new powers to negotiate issues once treated as off-limits.
Hours before the raid became public, Trump had signalled that a deal with Iran “could happen,” writing that Tehran wants a settlement “as soon as possible.” Vice President JD Vance said Monday that both he and Trump were optimistic about progress. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed that indirect talks were under way and that consultations were “very intensive.”
Qatar, which is mediating the indirect negotiations, said both sides remain committed to the process and are reviewing proposals aimed at an interim deal. A senior Iranian official said Tehran was ready to reopen Hormuz within two days if Washington accepted Iran’s long-standing demands. In September, Iran floated a seven-day plan to reopen the strait, seeking an end to fighting on all fronts, the unfreezing of Iranian assets, an end to oil sanctions, and an end to the counter-blockade of Iranian ports. Iran’s top security official Mohsen Rezaei later said a US response to those conditions was “not satisfactory,” insisting all seven must be met before Hormuz reopens.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- Late February: The United States and Israel opened the war with a large wave of strikes on Iran; the fighting has since settled into a months-long stalemate.
- September: Iran proposed a seven-day plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz tied to a list of political and economic demands.
- Past week: Iranian and Qatari negotiators shuttled between capitals on a proposal to end the war; Iran said it had targeted US drones in the region.
- Monday: Trump said an agreement “could happen”; US officials said American forces carried out limited defensive strikes on Qeshm; Qatari mediators returned to Doha after talks in Tehran.
- Tuesday: Explosions were reported on Qeshm; Trump confirmed the Trump Iran strikes in a television interview and called them minor; Pezeshkian urged dialogue as Ghalibaf warned Iran’s “finger” remains “on the trigger.”
Aasan alfaaz mein
America ne Iran ke Qeshm island par hamla kiya, aur Trump ne is baat ki tasdeeq kar di. Woh kehte hain yeh chhota defensive hamla tha, lekin Iran ke kuch leaders keh rahe hain woh jang ke liye tayyar hain. Doosri taraf baat cheet abhi band nahi hui, aur Qatar dono taraf ke darmiyan deal ki koshish kar raha hai. Pakistan ke liye asl sawal yeh hai ke Hormuz aur oil ki supply safe rehti hai ya nahi, kyunke us se petrol aur bijli ke kharche juday hote hain.
