US Strikes Iran's Qeshm Island Again As Trump Calls It A 'Minor' Operation

Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, seen from space. (Photo: NASA / Wikimedia Commons)

The United States has carried out new limited strikes on Iran, hitting an air defence system on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz. President Donald Trump confirmed the operation on Friday, 6 November 2026, describing it as "minor" — even as Washington warned Americans across the Middle East to stay alert and Qatar kept pushing for a negotiated end to the eight-month conflict.

What Happened On Qeshm Island

Trump told reporters shortly after arriving in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Friday evening that American forces had targeted a newly built Iranian anti-aircraft system. "They built a little bit of an anti-aircraft device and we knocked it out in about 15 minutes, maybe five," he said. He offered no further details about the target, the weapons used or the extent of the damage.

Iranian state media reported two explosions in the Suza area of Qeshm Island, on the island's southern coast. The semi-official Tasnim news agency said initial reports indicated two missiles had struck the island, adding that there was no official information on possible damage. The state news agency IRNA said local witnesses reported two projectiles striking the area after the sound of an aircraft was heard overhead. Neither side had reported any casualties by Saturday morning.

The Second Strike In Five Days

Friday's operation was the second publicly reported American strike on Qeshm Island in five days. On Monday, 2 November, the US military said it carried out what it described as defensive strikes, with explosions reported on Qeshm and nearby Hengam Island and in the mainland area of Bandar Abbas. Friday's strikes were also the first since Trump's Republican Party lost control of both chambers of Congress in the midterm elections on 3 November.

Qeshm is no ordinary target. The island — the largest in the Persian Gulf, at around 1,500 square kilometres — sits inside the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which about 30 per cent of the world's seaborne oil passes every day. Any fighting there is watched closely by oil markets and by Gulf states alike.

Most of Iran's air defence systems were destroyed or severely degraded during Israeli bombardments in June 2025 and in the early stages of the current conflict, according to US officials, who say Tehran has been trying to rebuild them. The Telegraph reported on Friday that Iran has been negotiating a deal with Russia for the S-400 air defence system. Earlier on Friday, Iran's Revolutionary Guard claimed it had shot down a US MQ-9 Reaper drone over southern Iran — a claim Washington did not confirm.

Talks Continue Alongside The Strikes

Even as the strikes were confirmed, Trump insisted that the United States is not at war with Iran. "We are not fighting," he said, adding that Washington has made "a lot of progress with Iran" in negotiations being mediated by Qatar. Two Middle East officials told AP on Friday that Tehran is reviewing proposals presented by Qatar aimed at bridging differences over its nuclear programme. Qatar's International Media Office on Saturday denied reports that the two sides had failed to reach an agreement, calling them false and misleading.

Washington also announced a reward of up to $20 million for information related to Iran's nuclear programme, and issued a security alert for Americans in ten Middle Eastern countries, warning of possible attacks, flight cancellations and airspace closures amid the rising tensions.

What Happens Next

The pattern is now familiar: limited strikes on one side, mediation on the other, and no clear end in sight. The Pentagon and US Central Command had published no detailed account of Friday's operation by Saturday morning, and Iran has released no official damage assessment. For now, the strikes look designed to send a message without closing the door on talks — a warning shot in a waterway the whole world depends on.

Whether the message lands, or the talks do, will decide what happens next in the Gulf. For the moment, both the missiles and the mediation are flying at the same time.

Do you think limited strikes like this push Iran towards a deal, or do they only raise the risk of a wider war? Share your view in the comments.