Iranian state media reported explosions being heard on the islands of Qeshm and Hengam in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, and in the nearby mainland area of Bandar Abbas. Unlike earlier in the war, the strikes were not publicly announced.
A U.S. official, who wasn’t authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said Monday that the strikes targeted Iranians using surface-to-air missiles against the U.S. in the strait. The move came as Iran said it had a two-day plan to reopen the critical waterway, through which about a fifth of the world’s oil supply flowed during peacetime, and resume nuclear talks with the United States.
Vice President Vance buoyed hopes for a negotiated settlement
Back-channel negotiations have also been playing out as Israel and some Middle East allies lobby Trump on the way ahead in the more than 8-month-old war that’s rattled the global economy and wreaked havoc on Iran.
Speaking before the U.S. official confirmed strikes, U.S. Vice President JD Vance told reporters Monday that he and Trump “both feel pretty good about the prospects for potentially coming to a negotiated settlement.”
The Trump administration was last known to have carried out attacks in early September. But thousands of U.S. troops remain in the waters off Iran to maintain a naval blockade aimed at preventing tankers carrying Iranian oil from reaching the global market. Another aircraft carrier and thousands of additional troops are also on their way to the Middle East.
