SRINAGAR: The United States has reportedly carried out a covert military strike on Iran’s Qeshm Island, marking the latest in a series of limited attacks against Tehran in recent weeks, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing US officials.
The reported operation took place on Monday, even as US President Donald Trump indicated that a diplomatic agreement with Iran remained possible and played down the prospect of further military action.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Washington has deliberately kept its recent strikes limited in scale and concealed to avoid signalling a return to its wider military campaign against Iran.
The reported attack came after several explosions were heard on Qeshm Island, located in the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state news agency IRNA reported.
Earlier on Monday, Trump suggested that Tehran was keen to reach an agreement with Washington. In a post on Truth Social, he claimed that oil prices had dropped by nearly 10 dollars a barrel, describing the fall as a record, and said Iran wanted a settlement soon.
“Iran wants a settlement, as soon as possible. It could happen!” Trump wrote.
When asked by reporters whether he was considering military strikes against Iran after Tuesday’s US midterm elections, Trump dismissed the possibility, replying, “no”.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy claimed to have captured a fourth US reconnaissance and decoy drone intact west of the Strait of Hormuz after taking control of its guidance and control systems.
IRNA reported that the IRGC Navy’s electronic warfare unit detected and identified the MQM-170 drone during an operation on Monday before bringing it down safely without physically destroying it.
The Iranian force claimed the drone had been deployed to identify the country’s air defence systems along the Persian Gulf coastline and over Qeshm Island.
The MQM-170 Outlaw, manufactured by US-based Griffon Aerospace, was originally developed to simulate aerial threats, test air defence systems and train military personnel.
