Donald Trump said on Friday that the US military had carried out a new series of limited strikes against Iran, targeting an air defense system, calling the action “minor”.
Iranian state media reported the sound of two explosions in the Suza area of Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, the crucial waterway for oil shipments that has been disrupted since the start of the U.S. war against Iran in February.
In an exchange with reporters Friday, Trump said “they built a little anti-aircraft device and we took it down in about 15 minutes, maybe five.”
The US military previously reported carrying out what it described as “defensive” strikes on Monday, when explosions were heard on the islands of Qeshm and Hengam and the neighboring mainland area of Bandar Abbas.
Friday’s strikes are the first since Trump’s Republican Party was defeated in the US midterm elections on Tuesday.
The electoral setback was fueled in part by voter dissatisfaction with Trump’s execution of the war in Iran and rising fuel prices — a byproduct of the war that has affected nearly every part of the global economy.
Since then, Trump has oscillated between threatening to “destroy” Iran and suggesting that a resolution to the war is near.
Differences with Iran over its nuclear program remain the thorniest issue and one that Trump insists must be resolved as part of any deal to end the war.
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.
Trump stressed earlier Friday, during an exchange with reporters, that mediators’ discussions with Iran were continuing.
“We are talking to Iran. We have been,” Trump said.
A series of diplomatic phone calls in recent days between leaders from the Gulf and elsewhere 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.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth spoke with his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Saud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani on Friday about developments, according to the Qatari government. Qatar plays a mediator role between the United States and Iran to end the war.
The Qatari government announced the call between the countries’ defense officials after earlier confirming that Trump and Qatar’s emir had a separate call to discuss efforts to defuse tensions.
The phone call between Trump and the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani, focused on international efforts to end tensions, according to a statement from the Qatari leader’s press office.
With Associated Press
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