US strikes Hormuz island as Trump says Iran deal 'could happen'

The United States launched limited strikes on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, US media reported, hours after President Donald Trump said Tehran was eager for a settlement following eight months of stalemated hostilities that have killed thousands and disrupted global shipping lanes since the US and Israel opened the war with surprise attacks in late February.

The Wall Street Journal first reported the attacks on the Iranian island, where state media said five explosions occurred in rapid succession near strategic facilities. Unnamed US officials described the strikes as defensive in nature and part of a series of undeclared operations intended to avoid the impression that Washington planned to resume major combat operations, according to the newspaper. Oil prices had plunged more than seven percent on Monday on optimism over a possible end to the war, which began when the US and Israel launched massive surprise strikes against the Islamic Republic on February 28.

Diplomatic claims amid continued fighting

Trump posted on his Truth Social platform on Monday that a deal with Iran "could happen" and said that "Iran wants a settlement, as soon as possible," remarks that came one day before US midterm elections in which voters were predicted to hand his Republican party losses partly over dissatisfaction with the war. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told state media that indirect talks were underway, stating that "Given the sensitivity and gravity of the current situation, consultations and deliberations are very intensive," while Iran's First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref characterized recent messages from Washington as "an acknowledgement of our victory." Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Tehran's chief negotiator, said Iran had given Washington a "rational response" while remaining ready for war, noting that "The ball is now in America's court to prevent war."

Conditions for reopening strategic waterway

US Vice President JD Vance told reporters that both he and Trump were optimistic about securing an agreement, saying that "We've certainly made some progress. We'll see if we can make some more," as China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Ali Bagheri, deputy secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, in Beijing that Beijing supports Tehran in "safeguarding its own sovereignty and security," according to a Chinese statement. A senior Iranian official said Tehran was ready to reopen the Strait of Hormuz — a vital chokepoint for global oil and gas shipments — within two days if Washington agreed to long-standing demands including ending the war on all fronts, unfreezing Iranian assets, lifting oil sanctions, and ending the counter-blockade of Iranian ports. Trump has continued to threaten military action, stating on Sunday that the United States may have to give Iran "the hammer" at some point and identifying Pickaxe Mountain in central Iran as a potential target, while Iranian authorities installed a banner in central Tehran on Tuesday displaying a photo of the US president with the words "We will kill Trump," AFP journalists reported, as officials warned of wide-ranging retaliation if hostilities resume.