On a Friday in early November, the United States struck again at Iran's air defences along the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway through which much of the world's oil must pass and which has been unsettled since the American war on Iran began in February. The president calls the blow minor, while Iranian reporting describes only the sound of two explosions on Qeshm Island. It arrives after a week in which voters rebuked his party at the polls, partly because the war has pushed up the price of fuel that everyone must pay. Even as the guns speak, the diplomats keep talking, and the unresolved
US Carries Out Another 'Minor' Strike on Iran as Trump Says Talks Continue
Trump has vacillated between threatening to destroy Iran and suggesting a deal is near
Mark
Trump calls this strike minor. Why does it still matter?
Mimi
Because of where it happened. Qeshm sits in the Strait of Hormuz, the oil route that has been disrupted since the war began in February. Even a small strike there lands in a sensitive place.
Mark
And the timing?
Mimi
It's the first strike since Tuesday's midterms, where Republicans took a heavy loss partly tied to war dissatisfaction and fuel prices.
Luke
Careful, though. The report says the setback was fed in part by those factors. It doesn't say the strike is a response to the election. That link is just timing.
Mark
What do we actually know about the strike itself?
Luke
Very little independently. The "15 minutes, maybe five" and the anti-aircraft device description come from Trump. Iranian state media reported two explosions. Nothing here confirms damage or casualties.
Mimi
Monday's strikes were called "defensive" by the US military, too, so that's the framing on both occasions.
Mark
Talks are happening alongside this. How real are they?
Mimi
Trump says they continue, and Qatar confirmed calls with both Trump and Hegseth.
Luke
Calls confirm contact, not progress. Trump has swung between threatening to destroy Iran and hinting a deal is near, and the nuclear issue is still unresolved.
Mark
What about the $20m reward?
Luke
It shows the nuclear program is the priority. Whether it yields anything is unknown.
O Pulso
- A US strike on an Iranian anti-aircraft system near Qeshm Island was dismissed by Trump as lasting only minutes, while Iranian media reported two explosions.
- The strike follows Monday's 'defensive' attacks on Qeshm, Hengam and Bandar Abbas, so the pattern of tit-for-tat fire is tightening.
- Midterm losses and soaring fuel prices are pressing Trump to find an exit, even as his rhetoric swings between threats to destroy Iran and talk of a near deal.
- Qatar is working the phones between Washington and Tehran, with calls between Hegseth and his Qatari counterpart and between Trump and the emir, but the nuclear question remains a stubborn wall.
- A new reward of up to $20m was offered for information on Iran's nuclear programme, a move that signals pressure is still being applied on the very issue blocking agreement.
On a Friday in early November, the United States struck again at Iran's air defences along the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway through which much of the world's oil must pass and which has been unsettled since the American war on Iran began in February. The president calls the blow minor, while Iranian reporting describes only the sound of two explosions on Qeshm Island. It arrives after a week in which voters rebuked his party at the polls, partly because the war has pushed up the price of fuel that everyone must pay. Even as the guns speak, the diplomats keep talking, and the unresolved question of Iran's nuclear ambitions stands between the strikes and any lasting peace.
On Friday, Donald Trump told reporters that American forces had knocked out an Iranian anti-aircraft system in another round of limited strikes. He described the operation as minor, done in about fifteen minutes, maybe five. In his account, Iran had built a small anti-aircraft device and the United States destroyed it. Iranian state media offered a thinner picture, reporting only two explosions in the Suza area of Qeshm Island, in the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway vital to oil shipments and disrupted since the war began in February.
The strike was not isolated. On Monday, the US military carried out what it called defensive attacks, with explosions heard on Qeshm, Hengam and the mainland near Bandar Abbas. Friday's action was the first since Tuesday's midterm elections, in which Trump's Republicans took a heavy defeat. Voters' unease with how the war is being run, along with higher fuel prices that have reached almost every corner of the global economy, played a part.
Trump's public tone has shifted since the vote. He has threatened to destroy Iran, and also suggested a deal may be close. The nuclear programme remains the hardest obstacle, and he insists it must be settled as part of any end to the war. Late Friday, US Central Command offered up to $20m and possible relocation for information on Iran's nuclear facilities, equipment and personnel.
Meanwhile, diplomacy hums. Gulf leaders have traded calls to ease tensions, and Qatar, mediating between Washington and Tehran, reported talks between its defence minister and Hegseth, as well as a call between Trump and the emir. Trump said the talks with Iran continue. What now matters is whether the Qatari channel can narrow the nuclear gap, and whether new strikes arrive while the conversation goes on.
On Friday, Donald Trump told reporters that the US military had knocked out an Iranian anti-aircraft system in a new round of limited strikes. He called the action "minor" and described how quickly it was done: "about 15 minutes, maybe five." In his telling, Iran had "built a little bit of an anti-aircraft device" and the US destroyed it.
Iranian state media gave a thinner account. It reported the sound of two explosions in the Suza area of Qeshm Island, in the Strait of Hormuz. That waterway is a crucial route for oil shipments and has been disrupted since the US war on Iran began in February.
The strikes were not the first this week. On Monday, the US military reported what it called "defensive" strikes, with explosions heard on the islands of Qeshm and Hengam and in the nearby mainland area of Bandar Abbas. Friday's action was the first since Tuesday's midterm elections in the US, in which Trump's Republican party suffered what the report calls a stunning repudiation. That setback was fed in part by voter dissatisfaction with how Trump has run the Iran war and by elevated fuel prices, a byproduct of the conflict that has touched nearly every part of the global economy.
Since the election, Trump's public stance has swung. He has threatened to "destroy" Iran and has also suggested that a resolution is close. The hardest sticking point remains Iran's nuclear program, which Trump insists must be settled as part of any deal ending the war.
Late Friday, US Central Command, which oversees American military operations in the Middle East, posted on X an offer of up to $20m and possible relocation for information about Iran's nuclear program. The post said the information could cover facilities, equipment, associated personnel such as those in the scientific community, or the movement of any of these. It linked to the State Department's Rewards for Justice program.
Trump also said earlier in the day that mediators' discussions with Iran continue. "We are talking to Iran. We have been," he said.
Diplomacy has been busy. In recent days, leaders in the Gulf and beyond have exchanged a flurry of phone calls aimed at easing regional tensions, amid growing concern that Trump could still order new strikes. Qatar, which has been mediating between Washington and Tehran, said defense secretary Pete Hegseth spoke on Friday with his Qatari counterpart, Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, about developments. Doha had earlier confirmed a separate call between Trump and Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani. According to a statement from the emir's media office, that call focused on international efforts to end the tensions.
What to watch now is whether the Qatari-mediated talks can close the gap on the nuclear question, and whether Trump orders more strikes while they continue.
Citações Notáveis
We are talking to Iran. We have been.— Donald Trump
They built a little bit of an anti-aircraft device and we knocked it out in about 15 minutes, maybe five.— Donald Trump
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Leia o original em The Guardian ↗
War & Conflict