U.S. jet strikes Iranian missile launcher on Qeshm Island after IRGC fires at American aircraft

A U.S. fighter jet destroyed an Iranian Revolutionary Guard surface-to-air missile launcher on Qeshm Island on Monday night after the IRGC fired a missile at a U.S. aircraft over the Strait of Hormuz, CNN reports, citing three U.S. officials. The Wall Street Journal first reported the strike and said it was the latest in a series of limited, undisclosed "defensive" strikes in recent weeks.

A U.S. official told AP that "Iranians using surface to air missiles against U.S. assets" had been targeted and that the strikes were limited, not a return to full hostilities. Reuters reports the same. Officials said the administration has kept the strikes quiet so as not to make them look bigger than they are. U.S. Central Command did not respond to requests for comment.

Iranian state media reported explosions on Qeshm, about 14 miles off Bandar Abbas, earlier in the night. A local official had blamed them on the disposal of unexploded "enemy ammunition." The IRGC separately claims it downed a U.S. MQ-9 and captured two smaller drones nearby; the U.S. has not confirmed that.

In a Fox News interview with Sean Hannity aired the same night, President Trump said: "We might have to go after Pickaxe, but that's not a big deal. We can do it in literally one hour." He was referring to the Pickaxe Mountain site near Natanz. He also said, "When was the last time you saw us fighting with Iran?" and that there is "a very good chance we will make a deal." Oil prices rose in early Asian trading after the reports, Iran International reports.

Update, Nov. 2 (late night): The New York Times, citing U.S. officials, reports that Monday's strike came after the IRGC shot down an American drone and fired at, but missed, two American fighter jets over the Strait of Hormuz. One official said earlier strikes in the series hit empty cruise missile launchers. The Times says these were the first U.S. bombings inside Iran since two days of strikes in early September, and that officials have no immediate plans to escalate. A U.S. official told ABC News Iran's claim that it downed two RQ-170 reconnaissance drones was false. Another U.S. official told The Jerusalem Post it was "a small incident intended for self-defense." Vance said Monday that the two sides have made "progress" toward a deal.

Update, Nov. 3 (morning): Trump confirmed the strike on Fox & Friends, saying U.S. forces hit a newly built anti-aircraft facility on Qeshm. "It was just a minor attack. It wasn't war," he said, adding, "They have no anti-aircraft. We took some out last night." U.S. officials described it as defensive, after Iran fired at an American aircraft, and said it does not signal a new escalation, Fox News and Stars and Stripes report.