The United States hit an island in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, according to Breitbart. This strike destroyed a surface-to-air missile launcher on Qeshm Island. It happened right after Iranian forces fired a missile at an American aircraft. The White House called this a defensive move, not a new war.
President Donald Trump told reporters on Monday that the US had already won. He said, “We had a war with Iran. We won.” He added that he is not sure it even counts as a war anymore. Trump noted, “I don’t know if you even call it a war because we haven’t been doing any fighting for months.” These words came while bombs were falling on Iranian soil.
Senior official tells me this was in response to Iran firing at a US aircraft Monday; not the start of new expanded strikes by the US.
— Jennifer Griffin (@JenGriffinFNC) November 3, 2026
US officials told CNN that the operation was a “defensive measure for Iranians using surface to air missiles against US assets.” Fox News correspondent Jennifer Griffin reported that a senior official said the action was “not the start of new expanded strikes by the US.” The Wall Street Journal first reported that Monday’s operation was part of a series of limited strikes Washington had secretly conducted. Officials told the outlet that some of these operations were meant to stop threats to commercial shipping.
US carried out a strike on Iran’s Qeshm Island on Monday, US media reports, citing US officials.
It has carried out limited “defensive” measures in recent weeks, aimed at preventing attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
🔴 More on https://t.co/MbrRGkFKRg https://t.co/GYLGuDHrHt
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) November 3, 2026
The Pentagon is keeping these events quiet. They want to avoid showing any plan to start major military operations again. Iranian state media reported five explosions across the island. Residents saw two aircraft flying overhead. The island holds an underground missile site and a naval base.
Even as strikes happen, the administration says talks are going well. Vice President JD Vance told reporters on Monday that negotiations had made progress. He said both he and Trump felt “pretty good” about the possibilities for an agreement. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told reporters that “Our demands have been stated very clearly and transparently, and Iran’s demands are reasonable and logical.” He added that “[T]he ball is in the U.S. court.”
.@VP on Iran: “The President and I both feel pretty good about the prospects for potentially coming to a negotiated settlement. We’re going to keep on working at it… We’ve certainly made some progress. We’ll see if we can make some more.” https://t.co/i2OSmoBfyt
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) November 2, 2026
Trump wrote on Monday that oil prices were falling. He said, “Iran wants a settlement, as soon as possible. It could happen!” This comes as Arab mediators try to stop renewed fighting. Gulf governments are preparing for possible Iranian retaliation if the US launches a larger offensive.
NEW and EXCLUSIVE — A diplomatic source briefed on talks just told me that Qatari mediators are currently flying back to Doha from Tehran after what this source described as “positive talks.” The two sides — the USA and Iran — are now currently separately reviewing the latest suggestions mediators made aimed at bringing them closer to landing a new deal.
— Matthew Boyle (@mboyle1) November 2, 2026
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pressed Trump during a Saturday phone call. He asked for additional strikes immediately after Tuesday’s midterm elections.
