WASHINGTON- President Trump said Friday that the U.S. military has carried out new limited strikes against Iran, targeting an Iranian air defense system.
Iranian state media reported the sound of two explosions in the Suza area of Qeshm island, which is in the crucial waterway for oil shipments.
Trump, in an exchange with reporters, called the military action “minor.”
“They destroyed — they built a little sort of anti-aircraft device, and we destroyed it in about 15 minutes, maybe five,” Trump told reporters shortly after arriving in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Friday evening.
Trump did not provide further details on the goal. But U.S. officials reported that most of Iran’s air defense systems were destroyed or severely degraded during an Israeli bombardment in June 2025 and at the start of the war that began on February 28. U.S. officials estimated that Iran would attempt to rebuild it and other military infrastructure over time.
On Saturday evening, US Central Command said it neutralized a St. Kitts-flagged ship after it ignored multiple warnings and attempted to leave the region after visiting an Iranian port.
U.S. forces have for months imposed a naval blockade on Iran in and around the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial strategic waterway for global shipping. The last confirmed US strike against a cargo ship took place almost a month ago in the Gulf of Oman.
Saturday’s revelation follows at least two instances in which U.S. Central Command failed to announce military strikes it had carried out in the region, and command officials declined to confirm the strikes when asked about local reports of explosions.
The US military also reported carrying out what it described as defensive strikes on Monday. Explosions were heard on the islands of Qeshm and Hengam in the Strait of Hormuz and in the neighboring mainland area of Bandar Abbas.
Friday’s strikes are the first since Trump’s Republican Party was resoundingly repudiated in Tuesday’s midterm elections, losing both houses of Congress.
The electoral setback was fueled in part by voter discontent over the war in Iran and rising fuel prices, a byproduct of the regional conflict that has affected nearly every sector of the global economy.
In the days following the Republican bombing of the election, Trump has oscillated between threatening to “destroy” Iran and suggesting that a resolution to the war is near.
Qatar presents new proposals to Iranian officials
Earlier on Friday, two Middle East government officials said Iran was reviewing proposals presented by Qatar’s chief mediator aimed at easing disputes with the United States over Tehran’s nuclear program.
But one of the officials stressed that the Iranians, at least for now, remain reluctant to engage in negotiations with the Trump administration over their nuclear activities until the United States agrees to several basic conditions that Iran has demanded to be part of any ceasefire deal.
Differences with Iran over its nuclear program remain the thorniest issue and one that Trump insists will be resolved as part of any deal to end the more than eight-month-old war.
The two officials were not authorized to comment publicly on the negotiations and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Meanwhile, U.S. Central Command, which oversees U.S. military operations in the Middle East, announced in an article published Friday evening that the United States would offer “a reward of up to $20 million and possible relocation for information on Iran’s nuclear program, including its facilities, equipment and associated personnel, such as those in the scientific community, or the movements of any of the above.” »
The message included a link to the State Department’s Rewards for Justice program.
Iran insists on concessions before nuclear talks
The White House declined to comment on proposals presented by Qatar on Iran’s nuclear program, but Trump stressed earlier Friday, in an exchange with reporters, that mediator discussions with Iran were continuing.
“We are talking with Iran. We have done that,” said Trump, who asserts that the US military remains in control of the conflict with a battered Iran.
However, Tehran insists on several concessions from the United States, which Trump has refused in the past. Among the main demands that Iran believes it must meet before engaging in nuclear negotiations: ending the US blockade on Iranian ports, lifting sanctions, unfreezing its assets, granting compensation for war damages and ending hostilities throughout the region, including Israeli operations in Lebanon.
A possible transition agreement
Mediators and Iran discussed a possible transition agreement aimed at paving the way for new negotiations on Tehran’s nuclear program, according to regional officials.
They said the proposal, which was recently presented to both sides by Qatari mediators, called for the implementation of confidence-building measures over a two-day period.
Those steps include lifting the U.S. blockade and releasing some of the billions of dollars in frozen Iranian funds seized over the years as part of a U.S. campaign to isolate Iran over its nuclear program. In exchange, Tehran would allow inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency to visit its sites bombed by the United States and Israel, the officials said.
On the second day, Iran will reopen the Strait of Hormuz under an amended agreement that Iran and Oman reached on the waterway but which has not been approved by the United States, the officials said. This mechanism would be temporary until a permanent agreement is reached on the strait in cooperation with other Persian Gulf countries, they said.
After implementing these measures, the United States and Iran will begin in-depth negotiations over Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium as well as other aspects of its program, the officials said.
Iran has long maintained that its nuclear program is peaceful. According to the IAEA, Iran has 440.9 kilograms – about 972 pounds – of uranium enriched to 60% purity, a short technical step compared to weapons-grade levels of 90%.
Diplomatic efforts resume after US elections
A series of diplomatic phone calls in recent days between leaders from the Gulf and beyond are aimed at easing tensions in the region. Concerns have grown that Trump could still order the US military to carry out further strikes against Iran.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth spoke with his Qatari counterpart, Sheikh Saud bin Abdulrahman al Thani, on Friday about developments, according to the Qatari government.
The Qatari government announced the call between the two defense officials after confirming earlier Friday that Trump and Qatar’s emir had a separate call to discuss efforts to defuse tensions.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also held phone calls Friday with his Iraqi and Tunisian counterparts to discuss tensions in the region. Araghchi and Iraqi Foreign Minister Fouad Hussein discussed Tehran’s vision for resuming negotiations with the United States, according to the Iraqi News Agency.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, who had two calls with Araghchi this week, said on social media on Friday that it was essential that both sides demonstrate “flexibility” to reach the “compromise solutions” needed to prevent the region from sliding into a new wave of escalation.
Egypt’s top diplomat also held a telephone conversation with his Emirati counterpart, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al Nahyan, to stress the importance of political negotiations to avoid a new military confrontation that could fuel violence and destruction, according to a statement from the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.
Madhani, Magdy and Price write for the Associated Press.
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