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U.S. Conducted Defensive Strikes On Iranian Targets In Strait Of Hormuz, U.S. Official Says
Developed over time first seen 18 hours ago
The US carried out limited strikes on Iranian targets in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, 2 November, according to US officials who described the action as defensive. One official said the targets were Iranian forces using surface-to-air missiles against US assets; another said the strikes on Qeshm Island followed Iranian fire at an American aircraft. Iranian state media reported explosions in the area. The full extent of the damage and any casualties had not been established in the reports reviewed.
The strikes came on the eve of US midterm elections and amid uncertainty over whether the eight-month conflict could widen again. Washington has maintained a naval blockade of Iranian ports, while attacks on commercial shipping have disrupted traffic through the strait. Diplomatic efforts are continuing: Vice-President JD Vance said before the strikes were confirmed that a negotiated settlement remained possible. An Iranian official subsequently said Tehran retained the right to defend itself. Whether this exchange leads to further military action or affects the talks remains unclear.
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In short
- US officials described the 2 November strikes as limited and defensive.
- One official said Iranian fire at a US aircraft preceded strikes on Qeshm Island.
- The action came as efforts to negotiate an end to the conflict continued.
How this story developed
- 4 hours ago The US carried out limited strikes on Iranian targets in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, 2 November, according to US officials who described the action as defensive.
Full account
The United States carried out limited strikes against Iranian targets in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, according to US officials. One official described the action as defensive, saying it targeted Iranian forces using surface-to-air missiles against American aircraft. The strikes came on the eve of the US midterm elections, amid negotiations over the war with Iran and renewed discussion in Washington of a wider military campaign.
CBS News reported a more detailed account of two incidents preceding the strikes. Citing US military officials, it said Iran’s Revolutionary Guards fired at an American fighter jet, which returned fire. Later on Monday, a missile launched from Qeshm Island threatened shipping, the officials said. A senior US official told CBS that American strikes subsequently targeted the island. The accounts provided by US officials have not been independently verified in the material supplied.
Iranian state media reported explosions on Qeshm and Hengam islands and around Bandar Abbas on the nearby mainland. Those reports suggest a wider area of activity than the Qeshm Island target identified to CBS by its senior US source, but neither report establishes the full extent of the strikes or any damage. Qeshm sits beside a narrow shipping route through which Iran has sought to monitor and influence commercial traffic.
Iranian officials responded by reaffirming their positions on the conflict and the waterway. Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Tehran retained a right to defend itself until what he called military aggression had ended permanently. Mohsen Rezaei, the head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said the US response to Iran’s conditions for ending the war was unconvincing and that the strait would remain closed until those conditions were addressed.
Iran has offered to reopen the strait and resume talks on its nuclear programme if the US lifts its naval blockade of Iranian ports, eases sanctions on Iranian oil sales and observes a ceasefire that also covers Lebanon, according to the first report. Thousands of American troops remain in waters off Iran to enforce the blockade, while another aircraft carrier and additional personnel are heading to the region. The US was last known to have carried out attacks in early September.
Diplomatic contacts have continued alongside the military pressure. US and Qatari mediators have been involved in efforts to reach an agreement, and regional allies have urged Washington to avoid another large campaign. Before the strikes were confirmed, Vice-President JD Vance said on Monday that he and President Donald Trump were encouraged by the possibility of a negotiated settlement. The first report also says regional officials believe mediators have made progress on a framework, although the supplied account ends before describing it.
Where outlets differ
From the full account, which is AI-written from the sources:
The first report says a US official described the targets as Iranian forces using surface-to-air missiles against the US; CBS gives a sequence involving fire at an American fighter jet and a later missile launch that threatened shipping.
Iranian state media, cited in the first report, reported explosions on Qeshm, Hengam and near Bandar Abbas. CBS’s senior US source identified Qeshm Island as the target of the American strikes.
The first report emphasises Iran’s conditions for reopening the strait, the US naval blockade and regional diplomacy. CBS gives more detail on the reported incidents preceding the strikes, Iran’s stated right to self-defence and Trump’s comments about possible further attacks.