The US forces have carried out a covert bombardment on Iran’s key Qeshm Island, fresh reports have revealed.
As reported by the Wall Street Journal, American troops executed limited airstrikes on the island on Monday, which authorities characterized as a protective action aimed at safeguarding American interests in the area.
The Journal quoted a US official who disclosed that the offensive was triggered after Iran launched surface-to-air missiles towards an American jet.
“On that same day in a different development, American military personnel thwarted a missile belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, IRGC, which took off from Qeshm and was aimed at merchant vessels plying the Strait of Hormuz,” the official said.
This latest offensive is part of a string of small-scale attacks that Washington has discreetly conducted on Iran over the past weeks without making them public.
According to one official who spoke to the Journal, Washington has intentionally kept the operation under wraps to avoid giving the impression that it plans to return to full-blown hostilities.
Iran’s government-linked Fars News Agency confirmed that loud explosions rocked Qeshm Island early Tuesday morning, noting that the detonations were also felt in neighboring Hengam Island and the harbour city of Bandar Abbas.
Qeshm Island, situated roughly 14 miles away from Bandar Abbas, is central to Iran’s grip on maritime movement through the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway that conveys about 20 percent of the world’s crude oil supply.
The development is happening at a time when President Donald Trump on Monday hinted that diplomatic efforts with Tehran are still ongoing, stating via social media that a deal “could happen.”