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US forces struck Iranian targets on Qeshm Island on Monday, November 2, after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fired at an American aircraft near the Strait of Hormuz, CBS News reported. Three US officials confirmed the strikes to the network. The Wall Street Journal first reported them.
A senior US official told CBS the strikes followed the IRGC fire on the aircraft. The Associated Press, citing a US official, described them as defensive strikes against Iranian targets, including sites that use surface-to-air missiles. Fox News and Axios reported the same trigger. The CBS report does not describe any damage to the aircraft or any casualties.
Iranian media gave their own account of the night. IRNA, the state news agency, said several explosions hit Qeshm Island in quick succession, and witnesses described two planes overhead. Fars reported blasts in the port city of Bandar Lengeh coming from the direction of the sea, according to Al Jazeera. Neither government commented right away.
The IRGC claimed it captured two US reconnaissance drones south of Qeshm using electronic warfare, and shot down an MQ-9 drone east of the Strait. Those are IRGC claims. The reports we reviewed carried no US comment on them.
Some US officials said the strikes were meant to limit Iran's ability to attack commercial shipping, and that Washington kept the effort quiet to avoid signalling a return to major combat. Oil rose more than $1 early Tuesday. By 07:44 GMT, WTI was up $1.60 to $98.06 and Brent was up $1.84 to $106.61.
The strikes came the day before the US midterm elections, while Qatari mediators were working on talks toward a US-Iran deal. President Donald Trump has said a deal could happen soon. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said "the ball is in the US court" and that Iran's plan to reopen the Strait could be carried out within two days if Washington meets its conditions.
CBS reported that the war is entering its ninth month. A US Central Command estimate from mid-October put its cost to the US military at no less than $47.1 billion. The AP reported, citing regional officials, that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pressing for another wave of strikes on Iran after the midterms.
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