WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump confirmed that the United States conducted targeted military strikes against Iranian air defense equipment Friday, even as his administration emphasized ongoing negotiations aimed at resolving the broader conflict.
Speaking with reporters after arriving in West Palm Beach, Florida, Trump described the operation as limited in scope. Iranian state media reported that two missiles struck the Suza area of Qeshm Island, an Iranian outpost situated along the Strait of Hormuz, an essential passage for global crude shipments.
“They built a little bit of an anti-aircraft device, and we knocked it out in about 15 minutes, maybe five,” Trump told reporters, calling the action “minor strikes.”
Explosions Reported in Strategic Waterway
Iranian state broadcaster IRIB said the nation’s military intercepted and shot down an American MQ-9 drone over Qeshm Island on Friday. Meanwhile, the Iranian news outlet Tasnim reported two missiles hit the island, noting that authorities provided no official assessment of damage, according to Reuters.
U.S. Central Command, which oversees American forces across the Middle East, stated that conditions remained “relatively calm.” A military official told Al Jazeera that the command was tracking the reports but declined to offer additional details.
Late Friday, CENTCOM posted an announcement offering a bounty of up to $20 million alongside potential relocation assistance through the State Department’s Rewards for Justice initiative. The reward seeks actionable intelligence concerning Iran’s nuclear operations, including its research sites, technical gear, and affiliated scientists.
Midterm Elections and Shifting Tone
Friday’s military operation marked the first reported American attack since Tuesday’s midterm elections, in which the Republican Party suffered substantial political defeats. Trump has directly pointed to public discontent over the conflict with Iran and soaring fuel prices as major contributors to the vote’s outcome.
Prior to Friday, U.S. forces had also fired on Qeshm Island on Monday. Officials in Washington characterized those earlier hits as defensive responses after Iranian units launched surface-to-air missiles toward American aircraft operating over regional waterways.
Despite the strikes, Trump insisted that diplomatic discussions are continuing and showed signs of momentum. “We’re dealing with them now. They want to make a deal,” he said Friday, claiming Washington had made “a lot of progress with Iran,” though he did not provide specifics.
Mediation and Diplomatic Channels
Diplomatic intermediaries in the Persian Gulf have pushed to keep negotiations alive to avert a wider regional conflagration. Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani noted during a Friday event at Oxford University that mediation continues to keep the standoff from spiraling out of hand, pointing to constructive discussions with U.S. officials and calm voices in Tehran.
Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari also rejected assertions that dialogue had broken down, cautioning that such claims serve only factions seeking to prolong the hostilities.
High-level communications took place between Washington and Doha on Friday. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth spoke by phone with his Qatari counterpart, Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, while Trump held talks with Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani, to examine efforts to lower regional tensions.
It remains uncertain whether the exchange of strikes will derail the diplomatic talks or if Washington will order broader combat operations in the days ahead.
