US quietly strikes Iran as a draft peace deal reaches Tehran

US forces struck Iran’s Qeshm Island, the largest island in the Strait of Hormuz, on Monday, according to US officials who spoke to the Wall Street Journal, ABC News and CNN. The officials called the strikes defensive; one said they answered Iranian fire at a US aircraft, and The Hill reported that radar and missile launchers were hit. Iran’s state news agency reported five explosions. The strikes were the latest in a series of limited attacks the US has carried out without announcing them in recent weeks, and officials said they do not mark a return to major combat. Central Command did not comment.

On the same day, President Trump said a deal with Tehran “could happen,” and Vice President JD Vance said both men “feel really good” about a negotiated settlement, with no deadline set. Qatari mediators flew to Tehran on Monday night with a draft US–Iran agreement that has been under negotiation for eight days. A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Iran “will not submit” and that its conditions must be met before Hormuz reopens. Oil fell more than 7% on Monday on hopes of a deal, then rose again on Tuesday as news of the strikes spread.

Why it matters

This is today’s highest-impact story because the Strait of Hormuz has been largely blocked since the war began in February, and its fate moves fuel prices worldwide, as Monday’s swing showed. The strikes also blur a line: Trump said last month that the US would not attack Iran before the midterms, and they came on the eve of today’s vote. Washington is now fighting and negotiating at once. What to watch: whether Iran answers the strikes, and what Tehran says about the draft deal.

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