According to the Wall Street Journal, The US Bombs Iran’s Qeshm island Explosions are Heard

The United States struck Iran’s Qeshm Island on Monday, the Wall Street Journal reported, as President Donald Trump signalled progress in negotiations with Tehran to settle the eight-month-old dispute.

The Journal, citing anonymous US sources, said the strike against Qeshm, the largest island in the Strait of Hormuz, is the latest of a series of modest operations Washington has surreptitiously carried out against Iran in recent weeks.

The Iranian state news agency IRNA said that five explosions in quick succession were heard on the island and several witnesses said they saw two aircraft flying in its skies. The Pentagon directed queries about the reported strikes to US Central Command, which did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment late Monday.

The Journal said that the US has been carrying out smaller-scale strikes against Iran for several weeks.

Some authorities, it added, portrayed the attacks as defensive in nature, meant to prevent Iran from having the flexibility to target commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital artery for oil exports that has been virtually sealed since the conflict began in late February.

But the publication stated the US has not publicly acknowledged the attacks, so as not to signal any intention of resuming significant military operations.

Trump stated on Monday, the day before midterm elections in the United States, that a deal with Tehran could happen.

Oil prices, which were sent rocketing by Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz oil corridor, fell more than seven percent on Monday on optimism over a possible resolution to the crisis.

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