US Strikes Qeshm Island Amid Deal Hopes

The United States launched limited military strikes against Iran's Qeshm Island late on Monday, according to reports from American media outlets. The attacks occurred hours after Vice President JD Vance told reporters that diplomatic efforts to end the war were progressing in the right direction. Iranian state media reported hearing several explosions on the island during Monday evening, while local outlets noted that the immediate cause remained unclear to residents.

Reuters and the Associated Press reported that the strikes targeted surface-to-air missiles positioned to threaten US assets. The Wall Street Journal first reported the attacks, describing them as part of a series of recent operations that the Trump administration had kept out of the public eye. The paper cited sources who said the strikes were conducted on a smaller scale and deliberately concealed to avoid signaling a return to full-scale military operations.

US Central Command did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters. The strikes were characterized as defensive measures rather than a signal to resume full hostilities. Qeshm Island sits at the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway Iran has used to launch attacks on shipping. Although major attacks have ceased in recent weeks, Iran continues to enforce its closure of the strait by targeting oil tankers and other vessels attempting to transit the area.

Vance said earlier on Monday that he and President Donald Trump were optimistic about securing a deal with Iran. He noted that Tehran had revealed indirect negotiations with Washington. "The president and I both feel pretty good about the prospects for potentially coming to a negotiated settlement," Vance told reporters. "We’ve certainly made some progress. We’ll see if we can make some more."

When asked if he had considered resuming strikes after the Tuesday midterm elections, Trump replied "no." Speaking to Fox News hours before polls opened, Trump downplayed the conflict's impact on the US economy. "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," he said.

In his closing message for the midterm campaign from Washington, Trump pointed to a sharp drop in oil prices as evidence of renewed diplomatic efforts. Rising petrol prices caused by the war have become a central issue in the election, with polls suggesting voters may punish Republicans for the effect on the cost of living. If confirmed, the Monday attacks mark the first publicly known US strike on Iran in weeks.