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 says Washington has carried out "limited strikes" against Iran in recent weeks and has kept the campaign quiet on purpose 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. Reports cited in the article say anti-ship missiles, mines, drones and attack craft are kept there in underground tunnels, which has made 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 not set a deadline for a peace deal.
Trump said Monday that the U.S. had to go to war with Iran to prevent it from getting a nuclear weapon. In a Fox News interview that night, he said the U.S. has bombed Iran's potential nuclear power sites and might next target Pickaxe Mountain, which houses an underground nuclear facility south of the Natanz enrichment plant. "We might have to go after Pickaxe, but that's not a big deal," he said.
Last month, Trump said the U.S. would not attack Iran before the midterm elections. The article cites polling showing only 31% of Americans supported the military action.