The US has carried out strikes against Iran’s Qeshm Island, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing US officials.
The reported attack on Monday comes as US President Donald Trump has sought to downplay the prospect of renewed large-scale military confrontation with Iran following Tuesday’s midterm elections.
"This was a defensive measure for Iranians using surface-to-air missiles against US assets," the official was quoted as saying.
“We had a war with Iran. We won,” Trump told reporters earlier in the day. “I don’t know if you even call it a war because we haven’t been doing any fighting for months.”
However, US officials told the Journal that American forces have continued conducting smaller-scale strikes against Iranian targets for several weeks.
According to the report, some US officials described the operations as defensive, saying they were intended to prevent Iran from gaining the ability to threaten or attack commercial shipping in the strategically important Strait of Hormuz.
Explosions were heard early Tuesday in southern Iran, including on Qeshm Island and in the coastal city of Bandar Lengeh, Iranian news agencies reported.
Trump talks down war risks
On Monday, Trump downplayed the possibility of renewed military strikes against Iran after Tuesday's midterm elections, saying diplomatic efforts were progressing.
"No," Trump responded when asked by a reporter whether he was considering striking Iran again following the elections.
Trump insisted that Tehran would never obtain nuclear weapons, adding that Iranian officials already recognised that position.
He argued that preventing Tehran from acquiring nuclear capabilities was vital, warning that the country "could never function in the same way" otherwise.
"We stopped that a year ago with those beautiful B-2 bombers, which hit every single mark and just put hundreds of tons of rock on top of everything," Trump said.
The president also suggested that diplomatic arrangements were "coming together very nicely," linking expectations of an agreement to falling energy prices.
"That's why I guess the oil prices drop so precipitously," he said.
