US President Donald Trump said American forces struck an Iranian air defense site on Friday, describing the operation as “minor” and insisting the United States was not at war with Iran.
The strike was the first reported US military action against Iran since Tuesday’s midterm elections, in which Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress.
“They built a little bit of an anti-aircraft device and we knocked it out in about 15 minutes, maybe five,” Trump told reporters. Iranian state media reported two explosions in the Suza area of Qeshm Island, near a major oil shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz.
Friday’s operation was the second round of US strikes that week. US forces launched strikes on Monday that Washington described as defensive. Explosions were reported on the islands of Qeshm and Hengam and near Bandar Abbas, a naval hub on the Iranian mainland.
Trump rejected the description of the conflict as a war, citing what he said was an absence of recent US casualties. He also said Washington remained in contact with Tehran.
“We have total control, but we’re dealing with the Iranians. We’ll see how that all works out,” he said. Trump acknowledged that the conflict had contributed to Republican losses in the midterms. The fighting had also pushed up petrol prices, adding to voter frustration ahead of the election.
Hours before Friday’s strike, Washington offered up to $20 million and possible relocation in exchange for information about Iran’s nuclear programme.
The State Department’s Rewards for Justice programme said it was seeking information about nuclear scientists and other personnel, technologies and capabilities, and organisations linked to the programme.
Two Middle Eastern government officials said on Friday that Tehran was considering new proposals brokered by Qatar to ease tensions.
One official said Iran was unwilling to negotiate over its nuclear programme until Washington agreed to conditions that included ending the blockade of Iranian ports, lifting sanctions, unfreezing Iranian assets, providing compensation for war damage and securing an end to Israeli operations in Lebanon.
The White House declined to comment on the proposals but said discussions with Iran would continue. “We are talking to Iran. We have been,” Trump said.
Iranian authorities have meanwhile distributed emergency guidance amid concerns that the US could strike Pickaxe Mountain, a suspected underground nuclear site. A video circulated on Iranian social media urged residents to “get inside, stay inside and listen for updates” in the event of a nuclear emergency.
It warned that strong winds could carry radioactive dust far from the site and claimed that people living closest might have only 10 to 15 minutes before fallout reached them.
An Iranian health ministry official told The Times that authorities had also distributed iodine tablets to people living near nuclear facilities.
Speaking to Fox News on Tuesday, Trump claimed US strikes had already destroyed Iran’s potential nuclear capabilities and said Pickaxe Mountain could still be targeted.
“Now we might have to go after Pickaxe but that’s not a big deal,” he said, claiming the United States could carry out the operation within an hour if it chose to act.
