US President Donald Trump confirmed an attack on an Iranian anti-aircraft facility as Iran’s president urged dialogue and warned that renewed war would benefit no one. The strike came amid indirect negotiations between the US and Iran.
Trump told Fox News that US forces had struck the facility shortly after its completion, describing the operation as a "minor attack". US media reported strikes on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz. An Israeli military spokesperson said Israel was not involved in the latest reported strikes.
The war began in February with a wave of US and Israeli strikes on Iran and has remained at a stalemate for months. The latest attack came hours after Trump indicated that an agreement could be reached, shortly before US midterm polls opened amid public dissatisfaction with the war and the inflation it had fuelled.
In an interview with the Financial Times, Trump played down the prospect of further bombing. "We seem to be getting everything we want," he said. "I'm ready, we're ready. We're locked and loaded if we need to go, but there may be no reason for it," he added.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said his government was still seeking a resolution through dialogue and that the supreme leader had granted it new authority to negotiate issues previously outside its remit.
Chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Iran was "ready for battle with its finger on the trigger", while Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Iran retained its right to legitimate self-defence after the strikes.
Qatari foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari said Washington and Tehran were reviewing ideas presented by the mediator. "We remain hopeful that there is still a chance for a deal to take place," he said. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed on Monday that indirect negotiations were under way, while US Vice President JD Vance said some progress had been made.
A senior Iranian official said Tehran was ready to reopen Hormuz, a key energy corridor, within two days if Washington accepted its demands. A plan Iran proposed in September called for ending the war on all fronts, unfreezing Iranian assets, lifting oil sanctions and ending Iran's counter-blockade of Iranian ports.
Separately, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps said on Wednesday morning that four oil tankers had struck naval mines while attempting to cross a prohibited passage south of the strait. In a statement carried by state television, it said the tankers had been destroyed and were still burning. The Guards also reported halting two other vessels and shooting down a drone over the strait.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The attack puts military pressure alongside negotiations, with Washington signalling that an agreement remains possible and Iranian officials asserting both negotiating readiness and a right to respond.
- Reopening the Strait of Hormuz is central to the talks. Iran’s account of tankers striking mines highlights the dangers facing shipping in the energy corridor.
Background
The Strait of Hormuz connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and is a major route for energy shipments. In this conflict, access to the waterway is tied to wider negotiations over sanctions, frozen assets and military operations, making a shipping agreement part of a broader settlement rather than a standalone issue.
Key Perspectives
Donald Trump: Says the US is obtaining what it wants and may have no reason to conduct further attacks, while maintaining military readiness.
Iranian leadership: Pezeshkian favours resolving the crisis through dialogue; other senior officials emphasise readiness to fight and the right to self-defence.
Qatar: Remains hopeful that its proposals can produce an interim agreement.
What to Watch
- Whether Washington and Tehran accept any of Qatar’s proposals for an interim deal.
- Whether negotiations produce agreement on Iran’s conditions for reopening Hormuz.
- Any further strikes or Iranian retaliation that could disrupt the diplomatic process.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedThe US struck Iran as Tehran warned against a return to war.RTÉ News: “US President Donald Trump confirmed that the United States launched strikes on Iran, as Iran warned no one would benefit from a return to war.”
- SupportedQatar said both sides were reviewing proposals while it worked towards an interim deal.RTÉ News: “Both sides "are currently reviewing the ideas and proposals we have presented," foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari told reporters. ... Qatar was working "towards an interim deal".”
- SupportedTrump confirmed a strike on an Iranian anti-aircraft facility shortly after it was completed.RTÉ News: “Mr Trump confirmed the strikes on Iran in an interview with Fox News, after US media reported strikes on Iran's Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz. "They built an anti-aircraft facility. As soon as it was completed, we hit it last night very nicely," Mr Trump said”
- SupportedTrump described the operation as a “minor attack”.RTÉ News: “adding that it was a "minor attack".”
- SupportedPezeshkian said Iran was still seeking a resolution through dialogue and warned no one would benefit if the war reignited.RTÉ News: “Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said his government was still trying to resolve the crisis "through dialogue" though, adding that "no one will benefit from this war" if it reignited.”
- SupportedThe strike came amid indirect negotiations between the US and Iran.RTÉ News: “Qatar, a mediator in protracted indirect negotiations between the United States and Iran, said it remained hopeful of an interim deal in the war.”
- SupportedTrump said, “We seem to be getting everything we want,” and, “I'm ready, we're ready. We're locked and loaded if we need to go, but there may be no reason for it.”RTÉ News: “"We seem to be getting everything we want," Mr Trump told Britain's Financial Times newspaper yesterday. "I'm ready, we're ready. We're locked and loaded if we need to go, but there may be no reason for it," he added.”
- SupportedGhalibaf said Iran was “ready for battle with its finger on the trigger”.RTÉ News: “Iran's chief negotiator in talks with the United States, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said the Islamic Republic was "ready for battle with its finger on the trigger"”
- SupportedGharibabadi said Iran retained its right to legitimate self-defence after the strikes.RTÉ News: “Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Iran retained the right to "legitimate self-defence" after the strikes.”
- SupportedUS media reported strikes on Qeshm Island, and an Israeli military spokesperson said Israel was not involved in the latest reported strikes.RTÉ News: “after US media reported strikes on Iran's Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz. ... An Israeli military spokesperson said that Israel was not involved in the latest reported strikes.”
- SupportedA senior Iranian official said Iran was ready to reopen Hormuz within two days if the US accepted its demands.RTÉ News: “A senior Iranian official said that Iran was ready to reopen Hormuz, a key energy corridor, within two days but only if the US agreed to its long-standing list of demands.”
- SupportedIran's Revolutionary Guards said four tankers were destroyed and still burning after striking naval mines while trying to pass through a prohibited passage south of the Strait of Hormuz.RTÉ News: “"Four non-compliant oil tankers attempting to pass through the prohibited passage south of the Strait of Hormuz were destroyed after striking naval mines and are still burning," Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps said in a statement quoted by state TV.”