The United States attacked Iran's Qeshm Island on Monday as part of a series of limited strikes Washington has secretly carried out against Iran in recent weeks, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing US officials.
Some US officials described the strikes as defensive and aimed at preventing Iran from having the freedom to attack commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. Explosions were reported around Qeshm Island on Monday, according to Iranian state media.
Unlike earlier in the war, the United States has not publicly announced the attacks. One US official told the Journal that Washington has deliberately kept the campaign quiet to avoid signaling an intention to resume major combat operations.
Qeshm, at the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz, is home to a large underground missile site, a naval base and a major desalination plant, according to the Journal. The United States previously targeted the island during earlier rounds of fighting.
The previously undisclosed strikes come as President Donald Trump has played down the prospect of renewed large-scale fighting with Iran after Tuesday's midterm elections.
“We had a war with Iran. We won,” Trump told reporters Monday. “I don’t know if you even call it a war because we haven’t been doing any fighting for months.”
Asked Monday whether he was considering striking Iran after the midterms, Trump said “no,” although administration officials told the Journal that he was still weighing his options.
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