US Reportedly Bombs Iran’s Qeshm Island as Tehran Reports Five Explosions

The United States reportedly conducted limited military strikes against Iran’s Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, according to American media, while Iranian state media reported five explosions in rapid succession.

The reported military action coincided with preparations for US midterm elections, which could weaken President Donald Trump’s political standing.

The Wall Street Journal was the first to report the strikes, saying they targeted Qeshm Island, a strategically significant territory in the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway at the centre of the Middle East war that has shaken global markets.

US officials, speaking anonymously to The Wall Street Journal, CNN, The New York Times and other outlets, characterised the strikes as defensive. The Journal further reported that the operation represented the latest in a series of unannounced American attacks.

The newspaper said Washington had not publicly disclosed the strikes to avoid suggesting that it was preparing to resume large-scale military operations. US Central Command had yet to respond to an AFP request for comment.

The war involving the US, Israel and Iran began with extensive strikes in late February and has remained largely deadlocked for months.

An Israeli military spokesperson denied Israel’s involvement in the latest reported attack, telling AFP, “No”.

The development followed last week’s Israeli election, in which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s party won the most seats but fell short of a majority.

The reported strikes also came shortly after Trump indicated that an agreement with Iran “could happen”, with American voters preparing for midterm elections largely shaped by concerns over the war and inflation.

“Iran wants a settlement, as soon as possible,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

IRNA, Iran’s state news agency, said five explosions occurred one after another on Qeshm Island. It added that some residents claimed to have seen two aircraft in the island’s skies, without explaining what caused the blasts.

Iran Says Washington Must Prevent War

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said indirect talks with the United States were continuing, describing the consultations as intensive.

“Given the sensitivity and gravity of the current situation, consultations and deliberations are very intensive,” he told state media.

Iran’s chief negotiator with Washington, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said Tehran was prepared for war but had responded rationally to the US.

“The ball is now in America’s court to prevent war.”

Meanwhile, oil prices dropped more than seven per cent on Monday following renewed hopes that the eight-month conflict could end.

Tehran Offers to Reopen Hormuz Within Two Days

US Vice President JD Vance expressed optimism that Washington could reach an agreement with Tehran.

“We’ve certainly made some progress. We’ll see if we can make some more,” Vance told reporters on Monday.

China called for renewed diplomatic engagement, while Iran’s security chief held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the conflict.

Axios reported last week that Vance had written to Iranian national security chief Mohsen Rezaei regarding the possibility of restarting negotiations, in what was described as the highest-level initiative in months.

Iranian First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref said communications received from Washington amounted to “an acknowledgement of our victory.”

A senior Iranian official subsequently indicated that Tehran could reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours, provided the United States accepted Iran’s longstanding conditions.

The demands were outlined in a seven-day proposal presented by Iran in September, which included ending hostilities across all fronts, releasing frozen Iranian assets, lifting oil sanctions and terminating the US counter-blockade of Iranian ports.

“The possibility of implementing this plan in two days is another indication of Iran’s good-faith approach,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said during a media briefing.

Iran Demands US Withdrawal, Trump Threatens Further Action

China hosted Iranian and Saudi officials in Beijing on Monday as diplomatic efforts continued.

According to a Chinese statement, Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Ali Bagheri, deputy secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, that Beijing supports Iran in “safeguarding its own sovereignty and security”.

Araghchi, speaking in an Al Jazeera interview released on Sunday, insisted that Washington recognise a new transit arrangement negotiated between Iran and Oman for vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

He further demanded the removal of recently imposed American sanctions and a reduction in US troop deployments across the region.

Trump, however, maintained his threatening rhetoric against Tehran, warning on Sunday that the US might need to give Iran “the hammer” at an unspecified point.

The US president had also said on Saturday that he still needed to “take care” of one or two targets, including Pickaxe Mountain in central Iran, which is suspected of hosting a nuclear facility. Tehran has denied that the site is a nuclear installation.

Iranian authorities have repeatedly threatened sweeping retaliation should Washington restart military operations.

On Tuesday, AFP journalists reported that Iranian authorities had erected a giant banner in central Tehran.

Displayed above an image of Trump, the banner carried a stark warning: “We will kill Trump”.

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