SRINAGAR: The United States military has carried out fresh limited strikes on Iran, targeting an Iranian air defence system near the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, President Donald Trump has confirmed.
Trump said the operation was conducted on Friday and described it as a minor military action, claiming that US forces had destroyed an Iranian anti-aircraft installation within minutes.
Speaking to reporters after arriving in West Palm Beach, Florida, Trump said: “They knocked out — they built a little bit of an anti-aircraft device and we knocked it out in about 15 minutes, maybe five.”
According to The Associated Press, Trump did not disclose further details about the precise location or nature of the target.
The strikes came after Iranian state media reported hearing two explosions in the Suza area of Qeshm Island, located in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical international shipping route through which a significant proportion of global oil supplies are transported.
The latest operation marks another escalation in military tensions between Washington and Tehran, despite ongoing diplomatic efforts aimed at bringing the conflict to an end.
US officials have previously assessed that much of Iran’s air defence infrastructure was destroyed or severely weakened during Israeli bombardment in June 2025 and the initial phase of the current conflict. However, Washington has maintained that Tehran could attempt to rebuild its air defence capabilities and other military infrastructure.
The latest strikes are the first publicly acknowledged US military action against Iran since Trump’s Republican Party suffered significant setbacks in Tuesday’s US midterm elections. The outcome was partly influenced by growing public dissatisfaction over the conflict and rising fuel prices.
The US military had also conducted what it described as defensive strikes earlier this week, with explosions reported on Qeshm and Hengam islands and in the nearby mainland area of Bandar Abbas.
Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts to prevent a wider escalation have continued, with Qatar playing a mediating role between Washington and Tehran.
The renewed military action comes amid uncertainty over the future course of the conflict, with Trump alternating between warnings of further military action and indications that a negotiated settlement could be possible.
