The U.S. reportedly struck Iran's Qeshm Island on Monday, according to U.S. officials who spoke to The Wall Street Journal. The report said Washington has carried out "limited strikes" against Iran in recent weeks and has kept the campaign quiet to avoid signaling a major escalation.
Qeshm Island, off Iran's southern coast, is the largest island in the Persian Gulf and sits near the Strait of Hormuz. The report said anti-ship missiles, mines, drones and attack craft are reportedly kept there in underground tunnels, making it a potential U.S. target.
The strikes came as Vice President JD Vance told CNN on Monday that he and President Donald Trump "both feel really good about the prospect of potentially coming to a negotiated settlement" with Tehran. Vance said Iranians are "unpredictable" and that Trump retains "kinetic and non-kinetic" options. He said Washington has set no deadline for a peace deal.
Trump said Monday that the U.S. must stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. He told Fox News that the U.S. has bombed Iran's potential nuclear power sites and might next target Pickaxe Mountain, an underground nuclear facility south of Iran's Natanz enrichment plant. He said the U.S. could destroy it in about one hour.
On Nov. 1, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Trump would prefer to resolve the conflict diplomatically rather than through military force.