Trump Describes ‘Minor Strikes’ on Iran as Missiles Hit Qeshm Island

President Donald Trump said on Friday that American forces had carried out limited strikes against Iranian air defences, hours before Iranian state media reported two missiles striking Qeshm Island near the Strait of Hormuz.

Speaking to reporters in West Palm Beach, Florida, after landing on Air Force One, Trump described the operation as minor but effective. He declined, however, to confirm that the United States was behind the reported strikes on Qeshm itself — a distinction that leaves the exact link between his remarks and the explosions on the island unconfirmed.

What Trump said

Trump told reporters: “We do minor strikes, but they knock out. They built a little bit of an anti-aircraft device, and we knocked it out in about 15 minutes, maybe five.”

When asked directly whether the US had carried out the reported strikes on Qeshm, he replied: “I don’t want to talk about it.” He did not say where the operation he described took place, or whether it was connected to the reported missile impacts on the island, Reuters reported.

Two missiles reported in the Suza area

Early on Saturday, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that two missiles had struck Qeshm Island, adding that there was no official information on possible damage. The state news agency IRNA, citing local witnesses, said two projectiles hit the Suza area after the sound of an aircraft was heard overhead. Semi-official outlets reported no casualties.

Qeshm is the largest island in the Persian Gulf, sitting just off Iran’s southern coast beside the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which a large share of the world’s seaborne oil passes. The strait has been disrupted since the US war on Iran began in February, and shipping through it remains under strain.

Iran claims it shot down US drones

Iranian state media carried separate claims that its air defences had brought down American drones over the island. State broadcaster IRIB reported an army statement saying an MQ-9 drone had been intercepted and destroyed over Qeshm on Saturday. A day earlier, Iranian media citing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said an MQ-1 drone had been destroyed over the island on Friday, describing it as the 16th of its kind.

Neither claim has been confirmed by Washington, and no wreckage or imagery has been published that would allow independent verification. The United States has not commented on either claim.

A wider standoff over the strait

US Central Command said it was aware of the reports and described the situation around Qeshm as “relatively calm”. Late on Friday, it offered a reward of up to $20 million for information about Iran’s nuclear programme, Al Jazeera reported.

The reported strikes are the first since Tuesday’s midterm elections, in which Trump’s Republican Party lost control of both chambers of Congress. They follow an earlier round on Monday, when explosions were reported on Qeshm and the nearby island of Hengam and around the mainland port of Bandar Abbas. Trump confirmed that operation the following day in a Fox News interview, saying the target was an anti-aircraft facility Iran had spent about two months building. “It’s just a minor attack. It wasn’t war,” he said then.

Days earlier, Iran claimed that four tankers had been destroyed by mines near the strait, a claim that remains unverified.

Diplomacy continues alongside the military pressure. Trump has said a decision on further military action would come soon, while Qatar has circulated proposals aimed at a deal. Tehran has set out seven conditions, reported to include sanctions relief, the release of frozen assets, compensation and an end to military pressure, and its top security official said this week that Washington’s reply was insufficient, adding that the strait would remain shut to the United States until the conditions were met.

The risks to shipping were underlined on Wednesday, when an explosion aboard the Marshall Islands-flagged tanker MT Velos Sapphire in the Persian Gulf killed one seafarer, according to the ship’s manager. The cause has not been confirmed.

What happens next

For now, the picture remains incomplete. Trump has confirmed that US forces are carrying out limited strikes on Iranian air defences, but has not confirmed the Qeshm operation by name. Iran has reported explosions and claimed drone shootdowns, but has not said what was hit or whether anything was damaged. With talks continuing and a decision on further action pending, the coming days are likely to show whether the Qeshm episode was a contained exchange or the start of a wider escalation.

Frequently asked questions

What did Trump confirm on Friday?

He confirmed that US forces carried out limited strikes against an Iranian air-defence system, but declined to confirm that the US was behind the reported strikes on Qeshm Island.

What did Iranian media report?

Tasnim and IRNA reported two missiles or projectiles hitting the Suza area of Qeshm Island early on Saturday, with no official information on damage and no reported casualties.

Did Iran shoot down US drones?

Iran claims it downed an MQ-1 on Friday and an MQ-9 on Saturday. Neither claim has been confirmed by the US, and no wreckage has been published.

Why does Qeshm matter?

It is the largest island in the Persian Gulf, beside the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for global oil shipments.