Source : BRICS NEWS
WASHINGTON, November 2, 2026 – United States forces on Monday carried out limited airstrikes on Iran’s Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, US officials said, in what was described as the latest in a series of American strikes on Iran conducted without public disclosure in recent weeks.
The strikes were flagged by BRICS News in a post on X, which said: “US strikes Iran’s Qeshm Island.” The account later added that US forces had carried out secret targeted military attacks on Iran over the past few weeks, citing the Washington Post.
Two US officials told ABC News that the airstrikes were limited in scope and characterised as defensive strikes. One official said Monday’s strikes on Qeshm Island were in response to an Iranian attack on a US aircraft. The strikes were first reported by the Wall Street Journal.
According to the Washington Post, US forces launched a new round of airstrikes on Iran on Monday, “the latest in a series of American assaults carried out without public disclosure in the run-up to the midterm elections”, officials said.
ABC News reported that, unlike previous strikes in response to such attacks, the US strikes in recent weeks had not been publicised in order to avoid signalling that they were part of a resumption of major combat operations against Iran. The term defensive strikes has been used to describe US retaliatory strikes in response to Iranian attacks on shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran has increased the number of attacks on commercial vessels in recent weeks.
US officials told CBS, the BBC‘s US partner, that the strikes were a response to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) firing upon a US aircraft. Iranian state news agency IRNA reported several explosions on the island on Monday. Earlier in the day, Iran had claimed it shot down two RQ-170 reconnaissance drones, a claim a US official described as false, according to ABC News.
US Central Command did not respond to ABC News’ requests for comment. The BBC said it had also contacted Central Command for comment.
The strikes came on the eve of the US midterm elections, which will decide control of Congress. President Donald Trump, who has faced falling poll numbers and pressure from within his party to end the war, told Axios earlier on Monday that he was in “no rush” to ramp up strikes on Iran. “One way or the other, we will do something, but there is no rush. We crippled them financially,” he said.
Asked by a reporter on Monday whether the US might resume significant strikes after the midterms, Trump said “no”, the BBC reported.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told IRNA that “very intensive” talks to try to end the war were under way with the US through mediators. He said Tehran was prepared for both diplomatic and military scenarios “more than ever before” and that it was up to Washington to choose between a “wise path” of negotiation or the “mistake of military aggression”.
About The Author
