US strikes Iran’s Qeshm island

The US on Monday attacked Iran’s Qeshm Island, the Wall Street Journal reported, even as President Donald Trump signalled progress in negotiations with Tehran to end the eight-month-old conflict.

The Journal, citing unnamed US officials, described the strike against Qeshm, the largest island in the Strait of Hormuz, as the latest of a series of limited strikes Washington has secretly carried out against Iran in recent weeks.

Iranian state news agency IRNA reported five explosions in rapid succession were heard on the island, and some residents reported seeing two aircraft flying in their skies.

The Pentagon referred questions about the reported strikes to US Central Command, which did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment late Monday.

The Journal reported that the US has been engaged in smaller-scale strikes against Iran for several weeks.

It said some officials described the assaults as defensive in nature to prevent Iran from having the freedom to attack commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, a key conduit for oil shipments that has been largely blocked since the war began in late February.

The paper said the US has not publicly announced the attacks so as not to signal any intention of resuming major combat operations.

On Monday, on the eve of midterm elections in the US, Trump said that a deal with Tehran “could happen”.

Oil prices, sent rocketing by Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz energy corridor, plunged by more than 7% on Monday on optimism over a possible end to the conflict.