US carries out limited strikes on Iran’s Qeshm Island

The United States carried out limited strikes on Iran’s Qeshm Island on Monday, US officials said, describing the operation as defensive and not a return to major combat operations. An anonymous US official said the strikes followed the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps firing a missile at a US aircraft. Officials characterized the operation as a response to threats against US assets. The specific targets and the extent of any damage or casualties were not established in the reports. One account said radar systems and missile launchers were targeted, but that detail was attributed to a single report. Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported five explosions on the island on Monday and relayed residents’ accounts of aircraft overhead. Those reports confirmed that blasts were heard, but did not independently establish their cause or effects. The Pentagon referred questions to US Central Command, which had not publicly confirmed the operation in the reports. The strikes came amid continuing tensions over the Strait of Hormuz and efforts to negotiate an end to the conflict. Vice President JD Vance said he and President Donald Trump felt positive about the prospects for a negotiated...