US strikes Iran's Qeshm Island after Trump says deal with Tehran "could happen": Report
Babushahi Network
Washington, DC [US], November 3, 2026 (ANI): The United States has reportedly carried out a clandestine operation targeting Iran's Qeshm Island, forming part of a series of limited military attacks against Tehran in recent weeks, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The reported strike on Monday took place shortly after US President Donald Trump indicated that a potential deal with Tehran remained achievable, despite ongoing uncertainty over whether Washington intended to resume broader military action against Iran.
Writing on Truth Social earlier in the day, the US President asserted that petroleum prices had plummeted by nearly $10 per barrel, describing the decline as a record drop, and maintained that Tehran was seeking a settlement expeditiously.
“Iran wants a settlement, as soon as possible. It could happen!” Trump wrote.
The reported attack on Qeshm Island marked the latest development in a series of limited US attacks against Iran in recent weeks, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Citing American officials, the publication stated that Washington had kept the scale of the strikes to a minimum and deliberately maintained secrecy to avoid signalling any intention to restart its wider military campaign.
The reported incident followed multiple explosions recorded on Qeshm Island, situated in the Strait of Hormuz, according to reports from Iranian state media outlet IRNA.
Additionally, on Monday, Trump played down the possibility of fresh military action against Iran.
When questioned by journalists about whether retaliatory strikes were under consideration following Tuesday's US midterm elections, he responded with "no".
Meanwhile, Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy reported capturing a fourth US reconnaissance and decoy drone intact west of the Strait of Hormuz after successfully taking control of its guidance and control systems, an IRNA news agency report stated.
The IRGC Navy indicated that its electronic warfare unit located and identified the MQM-170 drone during an operation on Monday before safely bringing it down without causing physical damage.
Iranian authorities alleged that the unmanned aircraft had been deployed to map the nation's air defence infrastructure along the Persian Gulf coastline and across Qeshm Island.
Constructed by US-based Griffon Aerospace, the MQM-170 Outlaw was originally engineered to simulate airborne threats, evaluate air defence networks and conduct personnel training exercises.
Previously, the US targeted Qeshm Island on June 2, directing fire at what officials described as an Iranian military ground control station used to manage drone sorties.
At the time, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) noted that armed forces had intercepted three one-way attack drones directed towards commercial vessels navigating regional shipping lanes, alongside several Iranian drones and ballistic missiles launched across the wider Middle East region.
Subsequently, the US military carried out what it described as a self-defence strike targeting the drone control facility located on the island. (ANI)